OVER half (52 per cent) of Brits believe their next car is likely to be a hybrid vehicle but, despite this strong intention to go greener, 68 per cent of petrol and diesel drivers feel like they do not know enough to buy one.

New research from Honda indicates that this knowledge gap is one of the contributing factors to Brits taking over a year on average to purchase a hybrid vehicle - highlighting a gap between people's green goals and car purchases.When it comes to technology, the research revealed that hybrid drivers consider themselves to be early adopters. A third say that they are likely to try new technology before friends and family, in comparison to 18 per cent of pure petrol and diesel car drivers.

When it comes to the environment, the majority (80 per cent) of UK drivers are concerned about climate change, but the research finding that hybrid drivers are much more likely to feel a strong sense of responsibility towards the environment (27 per cent compared with 18 per cent) and to consider themselves an environmentalist (50 per cent compared with 37 per cent).

The research also indicates that misconceptions surrounding the range of hybrids continue to be a cause for hesitation amongst petrol and diesel drivers, with 79 per cent citing this as a concern. Significantly, this no longer becomes a consideration once the vehicle is bought, with over half (52 per cent) of hybrid owners being only vaguely aware of their range when driving.

This is because range is simply not an issue, says Honda, which cites its hybrid CR-V model which has a range of between 493-539 miles - around 92 miles more than a CR-V petrol variant.