Green number plates for clean cars

A forthcoming consultation will float the idea of recognising low-emission cars and vans by issuing them with special number plates. Low-emission cars may soon sport green-coloured number plates under new government plans to promote clean vehicles.

It's not yet clear which vehicles would be entitled to show the green plates.

While green number plates will be positive PR for low-emission car makers and early adopters of the technology alike, to be truly effective any such initiative will need to at the same time shame the drivers of the most polluting vehicles; an electric or hydrogen-powered vehicle might sport a green plate, but the biggest gas guzzlers would have theirs branded red. Some French cities have already adopted an emissions-based vignette window sticker scheme using a range of six colours that recognises the fact that it is clumsy to simply brand one class of vehicle as being ‘clean’.

Ethical insurance

The ETA has been named to provide the most ethical insurance in Britain.

Beating household-name insurance companies such as John Lewis and the Co-op, we earned an ethical company index score of 89 – earning us joint-first place with Naturesave.

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Twenty seven years on, we continue to offer home insurance, cycle insurance, travel insurance and breakdown cover while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.