Concerned about CO₂? In the UK, just buy a diesel

British environmental site Clean Green Cars announced a report that says that buying a hybrid does not have significant CO₂ advantage over an equivalent diesel. The report doesn't mention other tailpipe pollutants and doesn't say that hybrids are a bad thing themselves because they do lower gasoline consumption. It's just that hybrids are more appropriate for the U. S., where diesels are virtually unknown, than in the UK. Clean Green Cars also says that we have to wait for lithium-ion and plug-in hybrids to get real benefits, since it is these two improvements that will allow more drive time on electric power alone and will increase mileage, compared to modern hybrids which can barely move on electric power alone.

Clean Green Cars came to their results by performing a test that compared three hybrids with three similar diesel cars. The six cars performed a test that involved a round trip from central London to Brighton, which involved a mix of urban, dual carriageway and motorway driving. Their recommendation: Just buy an economical conventional engine. Find the results after the jump.

Toyota Prius vs. Jeep Patriot 2.0 CRD
Toyota Prius: 39.9 mpg (33 mpg U. S. or 7.1 l/100 km)
Jeep Patriot: 38.9 mpg (32 mpg U. S. or 7.3 l/100 km)

Honda Civic vs. Ford Focus Econetic
Honda Civic IMA: 40.2 mpg (33 mpg U. S. or 7.1 l/100 km)
Ford Focus Econetic: 52.7 mpg (44 mpg U. S. or 5.4 l/100 km)

Lexus GS450h vs. BMW 535d
Lexus GS 450h: 28.5 mpg (24 mpg U. S. or 9.9 l/100 km)
BMW 535d: 30.6 mpg (25 mpg U. S. or 9.2 l/100 km)

[Source: Clean Green Cars]