Van drivers have been labelled selfish as it has been revealed that many would only consider becoming more eco friendly on the road if it could help them save money in some way.

The revelation from BMW shows 20 per cent of British drivers will take certain environmental issues into account when purchasing a new van, such as CO2 emissions, but three quarters of this total will only proceed if their output is cut.

Marketing director for BMW UK, Richard Hudson, said: "This report has provided tremendous insights into the honest motivations for today's consumers.

"It's all very well to offer more efficient products, but unless the quality and performance also progress, they simply won't sell."

This fact has been born out of reports from motor industry magazine Driving Change which found that 59 per cent of motorists linked reduced outgoings as the main reason for going green and not a urge to see a change in the way we treat the environment.