A HONDA car has been named the UK's greenest motor.

The Insight does 67 miles to the gallon in town that's way ahead of its nearest rival, the Toyota Prius, which does 57.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the country's biggest polluter is the Ferrari Enzo, which returns just eight miles to the gallon.

The 220mph six-litre supercar pumps out nearly seven times more carbon dioxide than the Insight, which in 1999 became the first petrol-electric car to be introduced to American consumers.

Honda, which has a plant in South Marston, launched the Insight in the UK in 2001, with a price tag of £17,000.

The pollution findings come from Friends of the Earth, which compiled a league table of Britain's dirtiest and cleanest cars based on manufacturers' figures submitted to the Department of Transport.

Honda spokesman Lawrence Pearce said the company is always looking for ways to make its cars less polluting.

Honda began developing fuel cell technology research in the 1980s, and tests have been conducted under a range of driving conditions since 1999.

The technology would see cars powered by hydrogen, generated from renewable resources.

But it is generally believed that mass production fuel cell cars are at least ten years off, with family fuel cell cars perhaps 20 years away.

Although this is regarded as the long-term direction for the future, the company is also keen to make improvements in the short to medium term.

"Honda recognises that its future depends on its ability to produce cars, motorcycles and scooters which don't carry an environmental burden," said Mr Pearce.

"We are pursuing many different routes towards making cars more environmentally friendly.

"There is much that can be done to improve the environmental performance of existing petrol and diesel powered vehicles.

"Honda's IMA petrol-electric hybrid system is one such solution, offering a relatively simple way of boosting the efficiency of a vehicle by about 20 per cent."

Honda followed up the pioneering Insight with the Civic IMA, which was launched in Britain last February and it has quickly become the country's most popular petrol-electric car.

Although the IMA's green credentials fall short of the smaller Insight, it can still return an impressive 47 miles to the gallon in town.

The Civic IMA, which Honda describes as the first truly mainstream hybrid vehicle is a valued £15,000 on the road.

Andy Tate