The G-Wiz, recently declared unsafe by the Department for Transport, is one of a very small number of exclusively electric cars available in the UK today. The Government is seeking a review of the European regulations for similar cars after initial tests of their safety performance, following their growth in popularity as a more environmentally friendly alternative to cars.

The DfT's "serious safety concerns" about the G-Wiz arose after the Government conducted the first of two tests aimed at environmentally-friendly quadricycles.

Roads Minister Stephen Ladyman said, "The safety regulations that govern this type of vehicle were designed at a time when it was thought they would cover four-wheeled motorcycles and some small, specialised commercial vehicles, not city run-abouts that resemble small cars.” As a result the British government promises to conduct an “urgent review” in Brussels of the European regulations governing quadricycles.

Defending the G-Wiz, Keith Johnston, the Managing Director of GoinGreen, the company that imports the cars, said the real-world safety record of the car spoke for itself: “our customers have driven 20 million miles and have 4000 years of ownership with no reported serious injuries.” Times Online columnist Anna Shepard, in her Eco-worrier blog, says: "The fact is these cars are designed to be driven slowly, in built-up areas."

Numerous manufacturers have commenced initiatives to reduce fuel consumption, for example the use of hybrid technology or other environmental programs such as biofuels. The Green-Car-Guide, an online resource dedicated to consumer awareness of issues surrounding fuel-efficiency and environmental impact includes only two exclusively electric cars in its top ten list of green cars: the G-Wiz and the Mega City.

In spite of recent technological advances most green cars still have limitations, and many quadricycles have yet to be tested in terms of their safety. Here is Times Online’s top ten environmentally-friendly vehicles and what our reviewers say about them.

Toyota Prius

“If you like the hybrid idea, at present there are two main choices — the Prius and the cheaper and outwardly more conventional Honda Civic IMA. The new Prius is bigger, faster and more sophisticated: green without compromise.”

Ray Hutton

Honda Civic Hybrid

“While I admire Honda’s dedication to the hybrid cause — it’s been making them for over a decade — I fear the result needs to be better than this if its technology is to catch on here as it has in America.”

Andrew Frankel

Toyota Aygo

“Toyota plans to sell about 13,000 Aygos a year in the UK, which is a lot of student loans. And it is targeting an economic group for whom £7,000 is still a great deal of money. Will Toyota pull it off when you can buy a used car for half that with all the cool you can handle? Quite possible, I reckon.”

Gavin Conway

Citroen C1

“In many ways, it’s the spiritual successor to the old 2CV, that poisonous upturned bathtub favoured by the sort of hippie who’s currently handcuffed to the tow hook of your Land Cruiser. If Citroën were really on the ball, they’d sell it in CND livery with Save the Whale bumper stickers ready fitted. And maybe get superhippie Steve Hillage to design the upholstery. Man.”

Jeremy Clarkson

Smart Fortwo

“With its rough edges now buffed, and small cars making increasing sense, this radical little newcomer deserves to succeed.”

Richard Bremner

Lexus GS 450h

“Clearly the hybrid drive offers considerable economy and some emissions benefits but the talent you notice most is how driveable it makes the car, offering such instant urge in all conditions it makes conventional petrol engines seem a little impotent in the lower reaches of their rev ranges and diesels strangled by their inherently narrow powerbands”

Richard Bremner

Lexus RX 400h

“There’s an electric motor that automatically springs to life at times like this to drive the back wheels as well. Brilliant. That means the four-wheel-drive-ness of the nuclear-free peace-Lexus comes at no cost whatsoever to the planet. It’s an open-toed 4x4. A free-range SUV. The closest you can come to organic motoring.”

Jeremy Clarkson

BMW Hydrogen 7

“Because the internal combustion engine can run on either fuel with little need for modification, you can switch between hydrogen and petrol by pressing a button on the steering wheel.”

Andrew Frankel

Ford S-Max

“This, then, is the holy grail. It’s an MPV you buy because you like it. Not because you need it. And because it appears to be small and has no four-wheel-drive system, you’ll be able to park it outside church, knowing the vicar won’t come along and chop it up with his special nine-bladed eco-sword.”

Jeremy Clarkson

G-Wiz

“It is absurdly cheap to run, does not pump noxious gases into city streets and is exempt from road tax. Apart from that, the G-Wiz needs only plugging in to the mains to refuel.”

Marc Rattray

Now more than ever there is a wide choice of different green cars, suited to a variety of different users. Do you own an environmentally-friendly car? Or did you consider one and end up buying a conventional automobile? Is safety one of your main concerns when buying a new car? Have your say in the comment box below.

Read Eco Worrier, Anna Shepard, on the G-Wiz

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