Higher fuel costs and reducing price tags for hybrid cars are propelling more New Zealanders towards eco-friendly motoring.
With hybrids available for only around $1000 more than an equivalent standard car, the motorist quickly wins through fuel savings.
Hybrid vehicles - those with a petrol-powered engine and an electric motor - made their international debut in 2001. They are becoming more affordable as early models are sold on the secondhand market. The Clean Green Car Company, which imports secondhand Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrid vehicles, said its sales had been "steadily increasing" over the past two years, and had been particularly good since fuel prices began to rise dramatically last March.