Improvements in modern diesel technology have saved motorists around £3,600 over the last decade.

Component manufacturer Bosch claimed if cars were still as inefficient today as they were ten years ago, the average annual fuel bill for driving 12,000 miles would be about £1,690, as opposed to £1,330 - equating to a saving of £360.

In addition, it stated technological advancements such as stop/start functions have lowered emission levels. To highlight this, the company pointed to statistics released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which revealed new diesel cars in the UK are 27 per cent more economical and release 21 per cent less pollution than models in circulation during 2013.

Peter Fouquet, president of Bosch UK, commented: "As diesel car sales continue to rise, we are focused on constantly innovating new technologies that help reduce emissions from diesel cars and make them cheaper to run."

Meanwhile, critics of the SMMT study point out fuel consumption figures reported by car manufacturers are completely different to what is happening in the real world.