More people are also opting for cars that are cheap to maintain rather than splashing out on models to impress the neighbours.

"At a time when car manufacturers continue to push 'drive of your life' performance features and va-va-voom sex appeal, the ultimate driving machine for the majority of Brits is a car that is environmentally friendly and cheap to run," said the report by AA Personal Loans.

"Impressing the neighbours is a thing of the past, down by two thirds over the last year, with only 2 percent of drivers still involved in maintaining any form of competition with the Jones's," it added.

On the day that Chancellor Gordon Brown was penalising gas-guzzlers in his annual budget, the report said that, with a quarter of Britons expecting to change their car this year, 20 percent were looking for an environmentally friendly model, against just 6 percent in February 2006.

"The rapid growth of the green agenda among car buyers over the last year is very significant," said AA Personal Loans Director Lloyd East.

"With a fifth of all car buyers today going green, the environmental agenda is being driven into the heart of the motor industry -- over family estates, saloon cars and people carriers."

East said, however, that too many buyers were accepting expensive forecourt finance rather than shopping around for a good deal. "Convenience is costing Brits millions every year," he added.