However, Dundee City Council said there will be no move to follow suit, after the local authority recently took out a four-year lease on a Volkswagen Phaeton.

The lease totals £33,840, and is a far cry from the Skoda’s £17,000 price tag.

And while the Skoda has one of the lowest levels of CO2 in its class, the gas-guzzling Phaeton produces nearly double.

The council has said its decision to use the Phaeton, popular with Scottish councils, was due to its size and design.

Lord Provost John Letford’s civic car has a three litre diesel engine, and its combined fuel economy is 30.1 miles per gallon.

However, given the majority of the Lord Provost's duties are carried out in Dundee, it is likely the fuel economy could dip as low as 22.1mpg. By contrast, the Skoda that whisks Aberdeenshire’s Provost to and from official engagements returns 55.4 mpg on the combined cycle.

Significantly, it covers 43.5 miles on a gallon of fuel in urban driving — making it almost twice as economical as the Phaeton.

A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said, “Several vehicles were looked at, and this model was chosen as the most suitable in terms of size, the relative fuel economy from its diesel engine and fulfilling its purpose as a working civic car.”