THE first time I drove Honda’s petrol-electric hybrid, the Insight, I finished up with a huge headache.

This was nothing to do with the car, but much more with a little challenge that Honda had offered. Journalists test-driving the Insight were invited to see who could produce the best fuel economy figure during their test-drive period.

Always one for a challenge I pitched in with every fuel-saving dodge that I know to try to extract every possible mile out of each precious litre of fuel.

So it was driving in socks to accelerate and decelerate as gently as possible, keeping the air conditioning switched off and, most importantly, driving as smoothly as possible.

Oxford Mail:

The Honda's smart interior

Smooth driving is easy in the Insight thanks to the combination of an electric motor, a 1.3-litre petrol engine mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

The two power units – together delivering 88 horsepower – work seamlessly together to give a smooth, quiet ride.

The car itself plays its part in helping you to drive efficiently with an ‘eco assist’ system that rewards economical driving with a range of visual aids in the display, including a line-up of digital trees that ‘grow’ as you drive more efficiently and wither and die if you take your eye off the economy ball.

The Insight dashboard display is a multi-coloured mixture of green, blue, yellow, orange and red, dominated by a large digital speed read-out that appears to float in front of an arc of green light when you are driving most efficiently, fading to blue under heavier acceleration.

The dazzling display is fitted to every model in the five-strong Insight range which is priced from about £20,500.

All models come with the likes of climate control, traction control, cruise control and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

On the test model, in HS specification, you get larger alloy wheels, automatic lights and wipers, rear parking sensors and privacy glass, but you need to move up yet another specification level before a sat-nav system is fitted.

The hatchback offers plenty of space for five adults and a decent split-level boot, so the Insight is a thoroughly practical, as well as economical vehicle.

Focusing every second on economy is seriously hard work and after my first drive, more than four years ago, I recorded an average of 74.1mpg over 350 miles to win the Honda challenge.

This time, without the pressure of competition, I notched up more than 850 miles of mainly motorway driving to record an average of 63.3mpg. Less economical maybe, but a lot less stressful and much more fun.

At a glance

  • Cost: £21,295
  • Insurance group: 15E (1-50) 
  • Fuel consumption (combined): 65.7mpg 
  • Top speed: 113mph 
  • Length: 439.5cm/173in 
  • Width: 169.5cm/66.7in 
  • Luggage capacity: 14.4 cu ft 
  • Fuel tank capacity: 8.8 gallons/40 litres 
  • CO2 emissions: 99g/km 
  • Warranty: Three years/ 90,000 miles