It’s a car which polarises opinion. On one side it’s a hybrid which is helping to save the planet with fantastic green credentials; a hyper-miling, low carbon-emitting motoring saint.

However, as many have found, it can be a struggle to get near Toyota’s claimed fuel economy figures while others have criticised the manufacturing processes behind the Prius saying it’s not ‘green’ at all.

Then you get a select few who drive their Prius like they’d stolen it.

But the new Toyota Prius, which went on sale in August, is a cracking car. When we test-drove it we were averaging 75.4mpg at 29mph while carbon dioxide emissions of 89g/km make it exempt from road tax.

The impressive reviews which the new Prius has received has grabbed the attention of Manchester United captain Gary Neville who has been snapped behind the wheel of one – replacing a Bentley Continental GT as his daily drive.

As far as we’re aware, Neville is the first high-profile footballer driving a Prius with Premiership stars more preferring supercars and 4x4s to eco-friendly motors.

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But over in America, the hybrid is a hit among the Hollywood elite. Anyone who’s anyone on the A-list drives round in the £20,000 motor. Although these stars tend to make use of private jets too, one of the least eco-friendly forms of transport.

The new Prius is a very good car. It boasts exceptional fuel economy figures, has an excellent safety rating and drives fairly well too.

In the UK it’s starting to silence its critics so could the Toyota Prius be the next car to appear en masse at training grounds across the country?

Should we all drive a new Toyota Prius? Have your say on the Auto Trader Blog