KEY POINTS:
A hybrid version of the humble Honda Civic has been crowned the country's most frugal car.
In what must make a sedate change for racing drivers like Greg Murphy, competitors in the AA Energywise Rally have to stick to the speed limit, carry a passenger and lug four days' of baggage around the North Island.
The object of the four-day road trip is not to finish first, but finish cheapest.
Honda's Civic Hybrid beat 58 other cars to win the supreme prize, finishing the 1641km journey at a cost of $111.72 including fuel and road-user charges.
Pre-race favourite the VW Bluemotion Polo took the environment award. Toyota, a popular maker of hybrid cars, did not enter the rally.
There was no tinkering with the engines for this rally - drivers had to take their cars as they would buy them off the lot. And just like real road-trippers, teams had to contend with unsealed roads, motorways and peak-hour gridlocks.
A team of drivers from Trade Me showed it is possible to save fuel even without the latest hybrid technology. The light-footed team used 9.5 litres per 100km from their Holden HSV Maloo, compared with the 15.7 litres expected by the manufacturer.
Race sponsor Dave Bodger, general manager of Gull Petroleum, said the rally showed motorists could use 40 per cent less fuel just by changing their driving style.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority chief Mike Underhill said that if everyone in New Zealand drove as carefully as the average rally team the country would save $1.8 billion on fuel a year.
