LONDON, June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Rejoice! The world's most expensive unleaded fuel is 'not' sold in the United Kingdom. So let's relax, thank our lucky stars, and spare a thought for our long-suffering foreign neighbours. When Londoners, for example, paid GBP1.35 per-litre in January 2011 - their equivalents in Amsterdam were paying GBP1.36. This included an alarming 44% government duty plus 16% VAT. That must have stressed-out even the most relaxed Dutchman.

Motorists might have thought that popping to Brussels could save them money, but the price there was a wallet-wrecking GBP1.39 per-litre. It was the same horrifying sum in Stockholm. However, that sounds 'cheap as chips' compared to Copenhagen. Here the Danish bitterly coughed-up GBP1.43 per-litre and in Monaco it was GBP1.44 - but then they can afford it.

Now prepare for a shock. Residents of Oslo paid a teeth shattering GBP1.58 per-litre in January. Prices were even more crippling in Asmara, as African motorists paid a virtually unbelievable GBP1.64 per-litre.

Chris Green, Co-Founder and Sales Director of Motoring.co.uk comments: "Despite the fact that fuel in Britain is cheaper than some other counties, many UK motorists are feeling the pinch. Earlier this week, an RAC survey highlighted the fact that motorists are cutting back on family journeys due to rising fuel costs.

"It is not surprising that we are seeing a growing trend of motorists downsizing their vehicles to purchase more fuel efficient and cheaper cars to run. New cars are becoming more economical and many of them are achieving 80 mpg - even mainstream family cars regularly average more than 65mpg. And as an added bonus, some of these fuel efficient vehicles qualify for free road tax because they have low CO2 emissions.

"So my advice to motorists is that if they are looking to buy a car, make sure they do their research on the MPG, CO2 emissions and running costs. A car might look like a good deal on price, but if it is costly to run, it will hit motorist's pocket hard."

Motoring.co.uk has put together the top 5 most economical new cars available in Britain:

- Smart Fortwo CDi - 85.6mpg and emits 86g/km CO2. The Smart Fortwo cdi diesel is the most economical new car on sale in Britain. However, it only seats two people, but if you want the best MPG - this is the car for you! - Toyota Prius -72.4mpg and emits 89g/km CO2. The greenest Toyota Prius is the entry-level T3 trim. - Toyota Auris Hybrid - 74.3mpg and 89g/km CO2. The Toyota Auris HSD is a British-built alternative to the Toyota Prius - it is better on fuel economy in town than the Toyota Prius. - Skoda Fabia Greenline - 83.1mpg and 89g/km CO2. This Skoda is the greenest supermini on sale - Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion - 80.7mpg and 91g/km CO2. Volkswagen's Polo BlueMotion uses the same 1.2 TDI diesel engine as the Skoda Fabia Greenline. However, it is not as ecomonical as the Skoda, but does make the top five for fuel efficiency.

Motoring.co.uk is UK's largest motoring website for new car search, with over 150,000 new and used vehicles for sale. Motoring.co.uk does not allow new car broker advertising.

For further information, please visit http://www.motoring.co.uk.

motoring.co.uk