Features
10 Aug 18

10 g/km separates ‘NEDC correlated’ from old NEDC

By September 1st 2018, new cars need to be re-homologated according to the WLTP for their official fuel efficiency and CO2 ratings. To assure a fair competitive and comparative basis, these CO2 values are back-translated to so-called  “NEDC Correlated CO2” values, using the CO2MPAS method.

Consultancy Jato has found that the latter are on average 10 g/km higher than the values measured under the old NEDC procedure. That is 2 g/km higher than the initial figures of April 2018, which were taken from a far less representative sample. Looking at the numbers, the differences seem to increase with the vehicle size and weight.

Help, my car emits more CO2

Leasing companies and OEMs are covering themselves against customer complaints by mentioning on the order forms that the indicated CO2 values are purely informative and non-binding. If the eventual correlated NEDC value is higher than the CO2 value mentioned on the order form, the customer is not entitled to a compensation. Neither can he cancel his order, although it stands to reason that some customers will take this to court if the higher CO2 rating hurts their pocket.

In many European countries, CO2 is the basis to calculate Benefit in Kind (BIK), road tax, fiscal deductibility of vehicle-related costs, and so on. A few grams of difference could mean hundreds or even thousands of euros in extra taxes. Ironically, the longer EU member states wait with the introduction of a WLTP-based taxation system to replace the current NEDC one, the more the treasury receives.

That is exactly what the EU and car manufacturer association ACEA wanted to avoid in the first place, but the customer finds himself at the short end of the WLTP story.

Picture copyright: Shutterstock, 2018

Authored by: Dieter Quartier