Peter Woodman

The hybrid electric Toyota Prius is not only tops for being a "green" car but is also the vehicle drivers are most happy with, a major customer-satisfaction survey revealed today.

The ultra-low emission car was the highest-ranking model in a UK vehicle satisfaction survey from information company JD Power and Associates and What Car? magazine.

The Prius scored 901 points out of 1000 in a survey of more than 16,000 car owners who had had their vehicles for an average of two years.

A total of 100 models were assessed for four measures of satisfaction - quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, dealer service satisfaction and ownership costs.

After the Prius, the next highest mark - of 872 - went to the Honda Jazz, with the Lexus IS scoring 861.

The top manufacturer - as opposed to the top individual model of vehicle - was Lexus which scored 866 points, with Skoda second on 846, Honda third on 844 and Toyota fourth on 836.

Bottom of the list were Fiat (744 points), Mitsubishi (775) and Chevrolet (779).

What Car? editor Steve Fowler said: "The Prius already has iconic status because of its green credentials; now it's demonstrating that it's also the watchword for reliability and satisfaction.

"It delivers on many of the points that matter most to car buyers today: it's environmentally friendly and reasonably frugal, yet it's also reliable and a great car to own."

Martin Volk, senior research manager at JD Power, said: "Honda distinguishes itself by garnering the greatest number of segment awards in the 2008 study.

"While Lexus maintains its position as the top-ranked nameplate, two non-premium nameplates - Skoda and Honda - are also placed among the top three."