There has been a "steady increase" in the number of people taking out eco-friendly car insurance, claims MORE TH>N.

Nick Dear, external communications consultant at the Royal & SunAlliance arm, explained that the rise could be attributed to the growth in popularity of hybrid cars.

"Obviously there's more people driving and looking for these kinds of insurance policies," he said. "Hopefully it influences, informs and helps people to choose their insurance products."

Mr Dear added that 74 per cent of drivers are "seriously concerned" about the increasing cost of petrol and therefore are seeking more economical ways of driving.

In addition, 58 per cent of drivers would switch to a hybrid car if they could get cheaper car insurance, he said.

A survey by Motorpoint found that 60 per cent of people who purchase an 08-registered car will get a vehicle with lower CO2 emissions than their old car.

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