Recognition for Renault’s environmental commitment continues with yet another accolade, as Modus wins the ‘Small MPV’ category in the Environmental Transport Association’s ‘Green Car Awards’ for the third year running. 

The Environmental Transport Association looked at over 5,000 cars currently on sale in Britain and examined their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even the amount of noise they produce to create the definitive guide to buying the greenest vehicle. 

The annual Car Buyers’ Guide was first published by the ETA in 1995 in response to requests from its growing membership and has since become the environmental benchmark for the car industry and the public, championing the greenest cars in Britain. 

Andrew Davis, director at the Environmental Transport Association, said: “With the price of petrol at record levels and greater understanding about the threat to the environment there has never been a more important time to make fuel efficiency a deciding factor when choosing a car.” 

Renault’s Modus and Grand Modus range has a strong focus on low emissions and economy with 18 eco² versions. Renault eco² vehicles must emit less than 140g/km of CO₂, or operate on E85 ethanol or on B30 biodiesel, be manufactured in a plant that has been certified ISO 14001, and be 95% recoverable at the end of their lifecycle - and include at least 5% recycled plastics. 

With the exception of the 1.6 16V Automatic, all Grand Modus and Modus

powerplants comply with the requirements necessary for the Renault eco² label. All are designed to ensure that 95% of their mass will have a second life. Wheel arch liners and dashboards are made from recycled plastics, which account for 7% of all plastics used in both vehicles. Indeed, Renault received accolades for its eco-engineered Modus dashboard which uses 4.5kg of recycled plastic. 

Noise reduction was factored into the design stage by digitizing and computing vibration and acoustics. Both vehicles have cut noise levels by 50% to 71dBA – 3dBA lower than stipulated by European regulations. 

Roland Bouchara, Managing Director, Renault UK said, “We are delighted to receive recognition for our environmental commitment especially from such a important organisation as the Environmental Transport Association. Modus and Grand Modus winning the Small MPV category in the Green Car Awards for the third year running is a great achievement.”