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Toyota has become, perhaps not surprisingly, a global leader in hybrid car sales, and it's really pushing the technology in Europe and Ireland, as buyers start to doubt scandal-hit diesel models.
Now though, there's a new scheme in place from Toyota, the Toyota Hybrid Challenge, which will allow you to buy a new hybrid and, if you're not completely happy with it, chop it in for an equivalent petrol or diesel model.
If you order a new Toyota hybrid (from the Yaris, Auris, RAV4 or Prius ranges) before July 31st, you'll have six months in which to decide whether or not it suits you and whether or not you're fully satisfied with it. If not, just take it back to your dealer and change it for a conventional model.
Michael Gaynor, Marketing Director, Toyota Ireland said: "With the Hybrid Challenge, we are providing the easiest, most risk free way for Irish drivers to explore a better way of driving, and are so confident that once people experience driving a Toyota hybrid they will love the smoother, quieter, more stress free drive and won't want to ever switch back."
Part of the information on the offer is really pushing the environmental performance of hybrids, with Toyota claiming that "combining a petrol engine and an electric motor means that Toyota hybrids emit from just 70g/km, which is incredibly low for a family car. In addition, Toyota hybrid emits just one-tenth of the NoX pollution of diesel engines, with no particulate matter, giving us better air quality."
Other benefits being touted by Toyota include official fuel economy of up to 94mpg and maintenance costs that are up to a third less expensive than on a conventional model "due to a variety of reasons including the fact that hybrids don't have a clutch and have less wear and tear on items like brake discs and tyres."