Seven in 10 motorists in Northern Ireland have no idea how green their cars are.

New research released by the Energy Saving Trust has revealed that drivers here could be saving hundreds of pounds a year in fuel costs if they chose greener cars — yet that information simply isn’t available.

The news comes after the UK government announced new car tax bands penalising less environmentally friendly cars.

The Trust called on car manufacturers and dealers to start providing the information that would help motorists to choose the greenest car in each class.

The ‘Driven’ report on the passenger car market commissioned by the Trust stated that 69% of people living in Northern Ireland do not know how much carbon dioxide their car releases.

Although 55% said they would drive more efficiently if they had more information on how it would save money and greenhouse gas emissions, 38% of those shown a list of popular cars had no idea which was the greenest.

When buying a car, 95% said they wanted environmental features to be brought to their attention. Twenty-one per cent said they take the car to travel distances of less than a mile, rising to 41% for journeys of less than one and a half miles.

Northern Ireland’s drivers urgently need to beat the credit crunch, yet the car market is failing them, according to Noel Williams, head of the Energy Saving Trust here.

“There is no good reason why at a time of rising fuel prices and higher vehicle excise duties for higher CO2 vehicles, people are continuing to buy inefficient cars. This is even harder to understand, given the good incentives to choose low CO2 vehicles and a wider range of vehicle models available,” he said.

The research shows that while consumers want to know about environmental features, it is difficult for them to understand the meaning of CO2 information without comparison to other vehicles in their class, Mr Williams added.

HOW TO BE AN ECO-DRIVER

Check your revs — change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel).

Anticipate road conditions and drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking. This saves fuel.

Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption.

The most efficient speed depends upon the car in question but is typically around 45-50mph.

Drive away immediately when starting from cold — idling to heat the engine wastes fuel.

Accessories such as roof racks, bike carriers, and roof boxes significantly affect your car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency.\[Daphne Abernethy\]l Avoid short journeys - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel and catalytic converters can take five miles to become effective.

Plan your journeys to avoid congestion, road works and getting lost.

Check your tyre pressure regularly - under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%.

If you're stuck in a jam, switch the engine off if you expect to be there for more than a minute or two. Cutting the engine will save fuel and reduce emissions.