Playing an interactive video game while driving is probably not the smartest idea in the world – but in the Honda Insight it is all but impossible to resist.

Honda has deliberately priced its new petrol-electric car lower than any other hybrid on the market to attract customers behind the wheel of a hybrid for the first time and slipped in some pat-on-the-back technology to win over drivers.

The fact that the sleek Insight is a perfectly practical, five-door, five-seater hatchback, that drives smoothly and quietly, handles well and has masses of interior space, will also go a long way to winning over fans to the hybrid cause.

But Honda recognises that a lifetime of bad driving habits mean some motorists will not instantly get the best out of the hybrid system, so a raft of video game-style technology is there to help.

First, push the Econ switch which, at a stroke, limits power ouput, installs a smoother shift through the automatic gearbox, tweaks the throttle control and even cuts the speed of the ventilation fan to save energy.

All that goes on in the background, but much more in your face is the Eco Assist system, that delivers Tamagotchi digital pet-style rewards if you drive smoothly.

First, a dial displays an ‘Eco drive bar’ symbol that moves to either side of a central line. The idea is to drive in a way that keeps the bar in the centre and away from the shaded/dotted areas on either side.

Drive efficiently and the bar stays near the centre and the ‘floating’ digital speed display is bathed in an eerie green light.

Accelerate aggressively, or brake suddenly and the indicator bar flies off to the right or left and the speed display turns a disapproving blue.

More gimmicky is another display above the bar indicator that rewards your driving style. If you are doing well, small trees ‘grow’ above the bar. Drive badly and they wither and die.

Once a journey is over, and the ignition is turned off, the black and white ‘eco guide’ in the display changes to an ‘eco score’ display.

Now, the tree symbols at the top report on the driver’s performance during the last drive, while the bar and symbols at the bottom of the display show a lifetime score. This is shown in three ‘ranks’ with the fully-grown tree and flower to the right of the bar showing the best score.

If your performance has improved since the last journey, a recognition symbol is also displayed, with wreathes and trophy symbols reflecting good progress. If the driving style is worse, a symbol of a withering plant is displayed.

Styled on the zero-emission fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity, that emits only water from its exhaust, the Insight lines up with the latest recently-launched Toyota Prius firmly in its sights.

The Insight is a couple of thousand pounds cheaper than the Prius and will also be competing with fuel-efficient models like the Ford Focus ECOnetic and VW Golf BlueMotion. It’s definitely game on in the battle to take motoring’s green high ground.

Auto facts Honda Insight 1.3 i-VTEC IMA SE

Price: £15,990

Insurance group: Six

Fuel consumption (Combined): 64.2mpg

Top speed: 113mph

Length: 439.6cm/173in

Width: 169.5cm/66.7in

Luggage capacity: 14.4cu ft

Fuel tank capacity: 8.8 gallons/40 litres

CO2 emissions: 101g/km

Warranty: Three years/90,000 miles