Kiwi consumers want fuel efficiency - though we're less keen on ‘green’ cars

New Zealand car owners are very keen on fuel efficiency and want to be able to buy biofuels at the pump. But in general we'd prefer to be driving a ‘dream' car than a ‘green' car.

International research carried out by Synovate shows that New Zealanders have among the highest rates of car ownership in the world, and are more reliant on their cars than most other countries.

Knowing how fuel efficient our cars are, is important to 84% of us - and 71% of us say we'd like to be able to use biofuels. However, we're behind our international counterparts when it comes to ‘green' car choices.

When asked whether we would opt for a ‘dream car' or a ‘green car' if money was no object, 38% of Kiwis opted for a ‘green' car (of which 15% said their dream car was a green car) and 46% went for a ‘dream' car. That puts us close to the bottom of the list in environmental car choices. Even car-loving Americans were more likely to go for green cars (42%) as were Australians (41%).

On the positive side, 25% of New Zealanders surveyed plan to walk or ride a bicycle more over the next 12 months - compared to only 2% of Aussies and 3% globally.

Mike Underhill, chief executive of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, said it was no surprise to find Kiwis wedded to the ‘dream car' ideal, as New Zealand was a nation of car lovers and more dependent on driving than many other countries.

The nearly four out of ten Kiwis who wanted a green car over a dream car was still a significant slice of the market, he said.

"Regardless of how prestigious our cars are, we can still choose the most efficient of that size - and there is up to 30% difference. When buying a car, people should look for the fuel efficiency label. How we drive makes a big difference to our fuel bills. Good maintenance and efficient driving can cut fuel use by 20% - that's ten weeks of free driving a year."

"Our cars are a very important part of the national energy picture. Around half of all the energy used in this country is transport fuel, and half of that again is the private car. So reducing the amount of gas we guzzle has benefits for the household budget and the country - both in terms of fuel imports and CO2 emissions," Mr Underhill said.

ENDS

Notes to editors

New Zealand road transport - key facts

• Oil accounts for 51% of our consumer energy use - private cars account for around half of that.
• Road transport accounts for 37% of NZ's energy-related greenhouse gas emissions (17% of total greenhouse gas emissions)
• The average NZ car emits 2.6 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year
• If all New Zealanders drove to save fuel, we would use 628 million less litres of fuel per year - equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off our roads.

Household transport - key facts

• The average fuel bill for a one car household is $2,200 per year
• Good maintenance and driving can shave 20% off fuel use
• Fuel efficiency ratings can vary widely for cars of the same size - see www.rightcar.govt.nz for comparisons