People who are on the hunt for a family car that is eco friendly, as well as being capable of carting round huge numbers of youngsters, often consider the wide range of hybrids that are now available.

There are hybrids to suit every kind of driver, and car manufacturers are bringing out more and more of these models which are truly suited to family life.

For instance, this year – 2012 – will see the arrival of the Toyota Prius+ in Europe. The Prius+ is a seven-seater vehicle – plenty of room for you, your children and a boot full of stuff, too. The hybrid minivan has been long awaited by school-run mums who also have a green conscience, which is hopefully a large number of people!

You don’t necessarily have to wait around for the seven-seaters though, especially if you only have one or two children. Even with their friends on board, you’re not likely to reach the seven person mark any time too soon. The Honda Insight is a hybrid that has been around for over a decade, and more of these are becoming available on the second-hand market now. It’s a great family car, and the Insight 1.3 IMA CVT gets 64.2 miles per gallon while only emitting 101g/km of carbon dioxide.

Of course, you may not want to buy a second-hand car, and buying a new car has a lot of advantages. For a start, you get to choose the colour and any extra features. It comes with the full length warranty which either covers a number of years, or a certain mileage, whichever is first. And new car offers often include extras like free servicing for a set period of time, or free roadside assistance. Some manufacturers also offer incentives like three years of insurance payments or road tax to tempt buyers in.

Hybrids make great family cars as they’re fuel-efficient; good for your pocket as well as for the environment. They burn less fuel as the internal combustion engine works in combination with an electric motor. The electric motor is powered by its own battery and this is recharged through a process called regenerative braking. The engine doesn’t need to work as hard to accelerate or climb hills as the electric motor kicks in to assist it. So, hybrids are cheaper to run than conventional cars.

The only trouble is that they are more expensive to buy than conventional cars, so you have to weight up whether you’ll have the car long enough to regain the initial extra expense through savings on running costs.

Related articles

• Are greener cars cleaner cars? (supergreencar.com)
• Solar powered driving; myth or potential reality? (supergreencar.com)
• 2012 Toyota Prius C Hybrid Vs 2012 Toyota Yaris: MPG Battle (greencarreports.com)