Drop in new diesels slows CO2 reduction across Europe

The average amount of CO2 emitted by new cars in Europe continued to fall in 2016. At 117.8 g/km, it was 1.4 g/km lower than in 2015, a drop of 1.2%.

This represents the slowest annual improvement in CO2 emissions in a decade, says JATO Dynamics. The analysts ascribe the slowdown to the slower growth of diesel registrations, which produce lower CO2 emissions.

Thanks in large part to its support for alternative motorisations, Norway had the lowest CO2 emissions of all 23 European markets analysed. EVs and hybrids accounted for 39% of all new car registrations in Norway last year.

Denmark and the Netherlands were the only countries where average CO2 emissions rose, in both cases due to changes in tax policy. Reducing tax incentives for PHEVs resulted in a 53% fall in demand in the Netherlands, while a raise in EV tax rates caused a 71% drop in Danish EV registrations.

The country ranking for CO2 emissions in 2016 (including change in g/km vs. previous year):

1. Norway 94.2 (-6.3) 2. Portugal 104.6 (-1.0) 3. Netherlands 105.7 (+5.1) 4. Greece 105.7 (0.0) 5. Denmark 106.1 (+0.7) 6. France 110.2 (-0.7) 7. Croatia 111.0 (-1.3) 8. Ireland 112.1 (-2.2) 9. Belgium 115.7 (-2.1) 10. Slovenia 117.9 (-0.6) 11. UK 119.9 (-1.3) 12. Romania 121.0 (-1.9) 13. Austria 120.1 (-3.2) 14. Finland 121.1 (-3.2) 15. Czech Rep. 122.9 (-2.0) 16. Slovakia 124.5 (-1.5) 17. Sweden 123.0 (-3.2) 18. Hungary 124.6 (-2.2) 19. Germany 125.6 (-1.7) 20. Poland 126.3 (-2.6) 21. Switzerland 132.9 (-1.6)

Not alone did Norway register the lowest level of CO2 emissions, but also the largest drop in CO2 emissions. Worst results, apart from the Netherlands and Denmark, were produced by Greece (no change in CO2 emissions).

Brand-wise, Peugeot achieved the lowest CO2 emissions, for the second year running; primarily thanks to lower CO2 emissions for its petrol engines. The brand's top seller, the 208, decreased its average CO2 emissions by 1.3g/km to 98g/km. Second place was for PSA's other volume brand Citroën. Both brands owe their high rankings to their smaller ranges of SUVs and other large vehicles.

Toyota snatched the third spot from Renault, thanks to the strong performance of its hybrid range – accounting for 39% of Toyota’s European registrations in 2016.

Nissan, Ford and Mazda were the only brands to see an increase in CO2 emissions, due largely to the popularity of large models such as the Nissan X-Trail, the Ford Mustang and the Mazda MX-5.

The brand ranking for CO2 emissions in 2016 (including change in g/km vs. previous year):

1. Peugeot 101.9 (-1.7) 2. Citroën 103.3 (-2.3) 3. Toyota 104.0 (-3.6) 4. Renault 105.6 (-0.3) 5. Skoda 111.8 (-3.7) 6. Nissan 115.0 (+0.8) 7. Seat 115.8 (-0.9) 8. Fiat 116.0 (-1.6) 9. Mini 116.4 (-0.6) 10. Dacia 117.6 (-4.3) 11. Volkswagen 117.7 (-0.1) 12. Ford 120.1 (+2.1) 13. Volvo 122.0 (-0.8) 14. Opel/Vauxhall 122.4 (-3.9) 15. BMW 123.2 (-4.8) 16. Kia 124.5 (-3.1) 17. Audi 124.7 (-2.6) 18. Hyundai 124.8 (-2.5) 19. Mercedes 127.5 (-0.6) 20. Mazda 127.7 (+0.2)

BMW made the greatest strides forward, but is still relatively low in the rankings – the average new BMW in 2016 emitting one-fifth more CO2 than the average Peugeot.

As the SUV continued its rise in popularity throughout 2016, consumer preference for this heavy vehicle segment partially negated the overall trend towards lower CO2 emissions. However, the success of compact SUVs like the Tiguan and the Tucson helped the SUV segment clean up its own act considerably, lowering emissions by 6.1g/km, more than all but one other segment.

Luxury cars decreased their average by more than double that, due in part to increased diesel and PHEV registrations.  The Sports segment was the only category to increase CO2

emissions, due to the high volume of registrations of the Ford Mustang V8.

The segment ranking for CO2 emissions in 2016 (including change in g/km vs. previous year):

1. A 104.0 (-0.1) 2. B 106.4 (-1.2) 3. C 110.3 (-0.2) 4. D 118.0 (-3.8) 5. E1 (Executive) 125.5 (-3.2) 6. E2 (Luxury) 168.3 (-14.5) 7. Mini-MPV 120.1 (-2.5) 8. Medium/Large MPV 130.3 (-3.0) 9. SUV 137.4 (-6.1) 10. Sports 155.1 (+0.3)

Image: Tobias Maier, CC BY-SA 3.0