Pitting three environmentally correct hybrid cars against each other on a drag-racing strip sounds a lot like gratuitous blood sport. Certainly, parked in the bays normally reserved for rocket-propelled machines with names such as Sidewinder and Fabulous Freight Train, the sombre-looking Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Lexus GS 450h looked like Christians waiting to enter the Colosseum. Ladies and gentlemen, the Toyota Pious will now be fed to the lions.

Apart from the obvious satisfaction of seeing some po-faced hybrids thrashed over a quarter of a mile, there was a serious purpose to the test – to find out just how quick Britain’s three bestselling eco-friendly cars are.

This information, strangely, is not readily available. Hybrids are sold on their fuel economy and their low pollution levels, but seldom is performance a selling point. This is not because their performance is dismal. It’s because in popular perception cars can’t be both fuel-efficient and fast. Marketing men want to emphasise the former so they will play down the latter.

In the interests of science, therefore, and in an attempt to secure a place in Guinness World Records (there had previously been no speed record for hybrid cars) we gathered Britain’s three bestselling hybrids at Shakespeare County Raceway in Warwickshire. The idea was to push them to their limits then compare their times against each other and against those of conventional counterparts.

Hybrids capture the energy that is normally wasted during braking, store it in a battery and use it to power an electric motor. This drives the car at low speeds and gives it an extra kick during acceleration.

From the scant information available, the Prius and the Civic should perform respectably on a quarter-mile sprint. The Civic Hybrid is equipped with a 1.4 litre petrol engine (the manufacturer does not quote separate figures for petrol engine and electric power) but, with the electric motor, produces up to 113bhp and goes more like a traditional 1.8 litre petrol.

The Prius’s 1.5 litre petrol engine produces about 77bhp but add to that up to 67bhp from the electric motor and its performance should resemble that of a 2 litre.

Under the bonnet of the Lexus GS 450h, the best-performing hybrid on sale in Britain (on paper at least), is a 3.5 litre V6 engine producing 292bhp; the electric hybrid motor adds a further 197bhp. This means that although the Lexus weighs more than either a BMW 540i or Jaguar XF 4.2 and has a smaller petrol engine than either, it should be quicker than both to 62mph from a standing start.

Power is only half the story.

What petrol-electric hybrids also have is masses of torque. Unlike combustion engines, electric motors do not have to build up revs to produce maximum power. In engineering parlance, they have a flat torque curve, which means all their potential power is available as soon as you open the throttle (or, to be correct, turn on the power).

The extra torque should give the hybrids an edge in performance that should more than compensate for the extra weight they carry in the form of batteries and electric motors. We had high hopes that our quest to find the fastest production hybrid-powered car over 440 yards would show that hybrids are no slouches.

At this year’s Geneva motor show the American car maker Fisker showed off the Karma – a sports-bodied petrol-electric hybrid that it claims will be capable of 0-60mph in less than 6sec.

Porsche intends to offer the upcoming four-seater Panamera with hybrid power. When Porsche starts talking hybrid technology it’s a sure sign the performance benefits are about to be exploited as vigorously as the environmental ones.

Vital statistics

Model Lexus GS 450h SE

Engine 3456cc, six cylinders

Power 292bhp

Electric motor power 197bhp

Torque 368 lb ft

Transmission Electronic CVT auto

Fuel 35.8mpg (combined)

Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.9sec

Top speed 155mph

Quarter-mile time 14.20sec

CO2 emissions 185g/km

Road tax band E (£170 for 12 months)

List price £43,150

Model Toyota Prius T Spirit 1.5 VVT-i

Engine 1487cc, four cylinders

Power 77bhp

Electric motor power 67bhp

Torque 295 lb ft

Transmission CVT auto

Fuel 65.7mpg (combined)

Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.9sec

Top speed 106mph

Quarter-mile time 17.92sec

CO2 emissions 104g/km

Road tax band B (£15 for 12 months)

List price £20,682

Model Honda Civic Hybrid 1.4 EMA Ex

Engine 998cc, three cylinders

Power 113bhp

Electric motor power n/a

Torque n/a

Transmission CVT auto

Fuel 61.4mpg (combined)

Acceleration 0-62mph: 12.1sec

Top speed 115mph

Quarter-mile time 18.31sec

CO2 emissions 109g/km

Road tax B (£35 for 12 months)

List price £19,605

Faster than a Ferrari

Toyota Prius vs Honda Civic Hybrid

Dawe: Toyota Prius Off the line, the Prius feels pretty nimble, acceleration is linear and the CVT gearbox holds sustained revs with no changes of cog. I edge ahead of the Honda and stay there. I’m not sure of my time when I turn at the end of the straight but I’ve won and that’s all I care about.

My best time of 17.92sec is respectable and on all the runs I’m achieving a final speed of nearly 80mph. By my reckoning the Prius is nearly as quick as a 2 litre Ford Mondeo.

How does the Prius stack up against a conventional counterpart? Well, it costs £20,682 and does 0-62mph in 10.9sec with an official mpg of 65.7 (combined). An Audi A4 1.8 TFSi costs £20,650 and does 0-60mph in 10.5sec with an official mpg of 39.8 (combined). I have to admit, I’m impressed. There may be lots of unflattering names you could call the Prius, but slowcoach isn’t one. I’m still not convinced by the jelly-mould shape and the drab interior. It’s the automotive equivalent of a hair shirt, but it does give me a warm glow of moral superiority.

Dawe: Toyota Prius For about 15 minutes, my Prius is the official holder of a world record for the fastest hybrid over a quarter of a mile. However, my victory is short-lived because Nicholas has brought up the big gun – the Lexus GS 450h.

Lining up next to it, my confidence evaporates. The Lexus has an engine more than twice as big as mine and goodness knows what’s lurking in those batteries.

As the lights change I think I’ve left the Prius in reverse by mistake. The Lexus explodes down the track, leaving my Prius in its wake. Suddenly I feel as though I’m driving an invalid carriage. I reluctantly line up for runs two and three. What’s the point? My Prius is history, with the ink on my world record certificate barely dry.

Toyota Prius vs Lexus GS 450h

Rufford: Honda Civic Hybrid Even as Jason wheelspins off the start line in the Prius, I know I’ve lost. The Honda is fitted with a nanny traction control system that “manages” the torque and refuses to let me burn rubber. Why? Surely the advantage of an electric-powered car is that all the power is available immediately? I know this because I was once beaten at the traffic lights by a milk float, even though I was in a Maserati GT.

Jason may have started faster but he’s not pulling away from me. As we reach the end of the quarter mile I’m convinced I’ve gained ground. My best time is 18.31sec. After three runs, the timing device confirms that the Toyota and Honda are, on average, less than half a second apart.

How does the Honda stack up against a conventional counterpart? The Honda costs £19,605 and does 0-62mph in 12.1sec with an official mpg of 61.4 (combined). A Mercedes-Benz B 170 costs £19,000 and does 0-62mph in 11.3sec with an official mpg of 41.5 (combined). And unlike the Honda the basic Merc does not come with leather or alloys.

Rufford: Lexus GS 450h I expected the Lexus to be quick, but not this quick. In a straight-line sprint, it ranks among the fastest cars I’ve driven. In my rear-view mirror, Jason’s Prius seems to shrink like a cartoon dot.

The timing board at the end of the straight clocks my best result over a quarter mile as 14.19sec with a top speed of more than 100mph.

The invigilators at the drag strip check their records to find comparable timings. A Ferrari 348TB managed 14.3sec; a Ferrari Testarossa, 14.2sec; a Lamborghini Countach S, 14.1sec. So the Lexus can hold its own even among some of the most prestigious supercars on the planet. It may be green but it’s no wimp, and it’s now the official world record holder for the fastest hybrid.

FACT FILE: The Guinness World Record for the fastest hybrid petrol-electric car over quarter of a mile from a standing start: Lexus GS 450h, driven by The Sunday Times, in 14.195sec, reaching 101.16mph

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