MORE drivers in South Lakeland are switching to low-emission vehicles, new figures show, as cities look to introduce penalties for drivers who contribute to polluting the atmosphere.

However the RAC said the high up-front cost of electric vehicles – the most popular low-emission vehicles – was still putting many people off buying them, despite their lower running costs.

New figures from the DVLA show there 4,936 low-emission vehicles were registered in South Lakeland as of March 2023 – up from 3,436 the year before, and 600 in 2018.

In total, there were 78,812 vehicles registered, meaning 6% of them were officially classified as low-emission.

The figures are not an exact representation of vehicle usage, as many vehicles, including those in commercial use, may not be regularly used in the same place they are registered.

Designed to emit less than 75g of carbon dioxide from the tailpipe for every kilometre travelled, they include battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.