THE move towards eco-friendly cars has seen Hyundai perfectly placed to meet the demand with its radical new Ioniq.
And while a lot of buyers opt for the Ioniq because of its low emission levels the obvious bonus of this car is its phenomenally low fuel consumption.
After many days driving one the onboard computer told me I had averaged 71.3 miles per gallon. And for a car of this size under normal driving conditions it doesn't get much better than that.
The Ioniq is the world's first car to offer three different types of electrified transmission systems so motorists anxious to protect the environment can select the one best suited to their needs.
There's the full hybrid version, powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine and an electric motor where the engine charges the battery.
Then there is a plug-in hybrid where the battery is charged from your home electricity supply but you still have the same 1.6-litre engine should you run out of battery power. And finally there is the pure electric version.
Driven here is the hybrid version. In effect the one where you don't have to worry about the state of the battery because it's constantly being charged by the engine.
But if you are curious you can actually watch the energy flowing in and out of the battery on the dashboard touch screen as you're driving.
The Ioniq is a sleek, spacious, five-seater car designed to be aerodynamically efficient.
Weight has been kept down by using aluminium rather than steel for the bonnet and tailgate and even the rear luggage cover is made of a special lightweight material making it 25 per cent lighter than those on other Hyundai models..
But there's no skimping when it comes to luxuries on board the Premium SE model which is packed with impressive creature comforts.
As well as leather upholstery there are heated seats front and rear with cooling ventilation on the front seats for the summer as well as a memory function, a heated steering wheel, satellite navigation and colour reversing camera.
Blue piping and stitching on the seats as well as blue surrounds on the dashboard air vents highlight the fact that this is a hybrid and there is even a discreet blue stripe on the lower levels of the front and rear of the car.
The Ioniq's engine is mated to a six-speed, double clutch automatic gearbox which ensures speedy and smooth acceleration.
But if you are in a real hurry you can slip the gear shift into sport for the sort of take off you don't expect from a hybrid. At the same time the speedometer turns red and morphs into a rev counter with a digital speedometer readout in the centre.
And if you fancy some hands on driving there are also paddles behind the steering wheel.
Even with five people on board the Ioniq never lacks pace and the ride is comfortable and very quiet even with the engine in play.
It's also a car which is surprisingly agile, staying well planted and flat when taking corners briskly.