Carbon dioxide emissions from cars could be slashed by almost a third within a decade, according to a review commissioned by the Government.

Mr Darling said that the study, led by Professor Julia King, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University and formerly of Rolls-Royce, showed that it was possible to cut emissions from cars by 25 per cent now and by up to 80 per cent by 2050.

The King Review was commissioned by Gordon Brown before he became Prime Minister as a follow-up to the Stern Review, which was published last year and advocated early financial investment to limit the effects of climate change.

The King Review concluded that it should be possible, to achieve “almost complete decarbonisation of road transport”, perhaps by 2050 in the developed world. Technological developments, if effectively introduced, should mean a 50 per cent cut in emissions per mile driven by 2030 relative to 2000 levels, the report said.

Professor King said she was confident that significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, widely held to be the main driver of climate change, could be slashed on the roads in the immediate future. “Within ten years we could be driving equivalent cars to those we choose today but emitting 30 per cent less CO2 . The technology is available,” she said.

Biofuels should play a role, but the report cautioned against relying too heavily on them. Electric vehicles powered from green sources were seen as the most likely clean cars of the fuel.

Bringing in more efficient cars was seen as likely to increase the cost of new cars by £1,000-£1,500 but could be standard in five to ten years.

The report recognised that “technology achieves nothing if it is not adopted” and said that consumer attitudes would also have to change.

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