Honda has launched a groundbreaking range of Hybrid cars, from the Insight Hybrid, to the brand new CR-Z Hybrid, and finally the Civic Hybrid. In times of political, economical and environmental instability such as these, the one problem the world must surely be able to unite upon is that safeguarding the future of our planet is of utmost concern and although the hybrid car is not the saviour, it’s a fantastic step in the right direction.

Most car enthusiasts regarded the electric powered vehicle as nothing more than a pipedream only a few years ago. You would have either have been called deluded, crazy or perhaps even somewhere in between. They were considered impractical, expensive and inconvenient - all in all, any budding motorist's worst nightmare.

The sheer size and number of batteries needed to power a car any great distance meant that the cars were not only heavy, but that they could not go any great distance, not to mention being monstrously garish.

Soon, though, things changed: in the 1980s Clive Sinclair tried a different route.

Instead of fixing one huge battery to the car, he attempted to fix a smaller battery and make the car smaller to fit. The trouble with this though was painfully obvious to everyone but Sinclair - it ran out of charge all too easily and the theory of electrical motoring seemed to die an ungracious death right there and then.

Then, the team at Honda did something very clever indeed. The Japanese car manufacturer concluded that if electrical engines could not replace petrol engines, then they could be enhanced and improved by being made greener and more economic by using a petrol engine in conjunction with an electrical motor. Low and behold, the hybrid dream was realised. It seemed Honda could most certainly practise what it preached with concerns to its company motto of 'anything is possible'.

But just because it is a hybrid this does not mean that we have to compromise on power, performance and ride comfort: far from it. With hybrid cars becoming ever more common in the motoring market beyond the tokenism of your regular Hollywood A-list celebrity, hybrid engines offer a real and viable alternative to internal combustion engines, or petrol and diesel engines to you and me.

First up is the Honda Civic Hybrid, a newer fresher take on a timeless classic and a firm family favourite. This large family saloon offers the space and luxuriousness of a larger family car combined with the improved speed of a sporty car - something for every occasion it would appear on first appearances.

You wouldn’t be far wrong either and the Civic Hybrid comes with a rash of features and add-ons available for the customer and yet delivers all this at a price starting at just £18,705. So how does it perform on the road? Well the level of performance is extremely pleasing with zero to 62 mph coming in just 12.1 seconds and a top speed of 115 mph.

But what sets this Civic apart from its predecessors and perhaps even its successors is that it is markedly fuel efficient and with road tax at zilch, CO2 emissions are at an impressive 109 g/km and with the car operating at 61.4 miles per gallon, these are some stats not to be sniffed at. So it’s cheap to run, will save you a lot of money that could be put to better use and it’s good for the environment too.

Next up we have the Honda CR-Z Hybrid, which hit the UK market in early 2010 and will set you back just £16.999. It is the world’s first and true sporty hybrid. It can be driven in one of three modes, economy, normal and sport, depending on your mood or the driving conditions at hand. Its 1.5-litre IMA engine produces just 117 g/km of CO2 and does a staggering 56.5 miles per gallon, which for a hot hatch sports is truly astonishing. It can go like the clappers too as it can do zero to 62 mph in just under ten seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph.

It’s aesthetically pleasing too and will most definitely earn you enviable glances from fellow motorists and pedestrians alike. The sleek sportier model has earned rave reviews so far for its boldness and innovation in a market striving for perfection.

Last but most certainly not least, we have the Insight Hybrid, or as it has become known to many; the Insight (Family Hybrid). This striking looking machine is a true family car at an on the road price of just £16,325. Its staggering 64.2 miles per gallon and the fact that its CO2 emissions are just 101 g/km will no doubt delight the environmentally conscious.

These outstanding figures mean that from April 1st this year the car was exempt from UK road tax and also means that Londoners could also avoid the congestion charge. Financially it makes a strong claim to be green for your wallet as well as your bank account. On the road it does zero to 62mph in 12.5 seconds and reaches a maximum speed of 113 miles per hour while also boasting the fantastic Eco Assist System, which will inform you not only how economical the car is being, but also how economically you are driving it.

Honda is known for its innovative spirit, but this current batch of cars does not signal a false dawn but the start of a new breed of motoring. The benefits of getting a hybrid car are vast and in such testing economic times, when your pocket and your bank balance are being hit as hard as ever, the case to go hybrid is a convincing one.

The benefits it can give to the environment are also worth remembering and it’s important we all do our bit to cut down on the pollutants that have the potential to not only spoil our air but also ruin what we can sometimes take for granted for future generations to enjoy.