Technological advances over the past couple of decades have helped improve diesel cars' fuel economy by 27%, according to a report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), comment Bosch UK.

Innovations such as the Bosch Common-Rail System which inject fuel into the engine under high pressure and Start Stop systems which now appear in 50% of all new cars manufactured have significantly helped towards the improvements, which have all contributed to a £360 per year fuel cost saving compared to a decade ago.

Emerging technologies which power the new generation of diesel hybrids will help Bosch deliver even greater savings in the future, with further improvements in fuel consumption of 40% predicted between now and 2020.

Electric and Hybrid vehicles may gain all the attention with their ability to delivery a green future, but it will be the everyday low-cost technologies such as Start/Stop, available in most new mid-sized cars today, which will be set to make the biggest difference to the UK's collective fuel consumption and emissions levels going forward.

We look forward to seeing how the diesel hybrid technology evolves in the coming years, and the effect adoption rates have on it's cost.