UK average car CO2 emissions improve, but less than hoped
Wed 13 April 2005
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The average emissions of carbon dioxide from new cars fell by 0.4% to 171.4g/km in 2004 according to the latest figures from the SMMT. The rate of decline in new car average CO2 emissions slowed from 1.9% in 2001/2 to 1.2% in 2002/3 and 0.4% in 2004/5. Average emissions were down 9.7% between 1997 and 2004.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders report says that the slight improvement in technical performance was smaller than the rate of traffic growth - up 1.7% in 2004.
However, overall emissions of CO2 from UK road transport have been roughly stable since 1997 at around 32 million tonnes according to Government statistics cited in the SMMT report.
The small decline in average carbon emissons comes against a backdrop of increasing 'dieselisation'. 32.5% of all new car registrations in 2004 were diesel, compared with 27.3% in 2003 and 16.2% in 1997.
Average diesel car CO2 emissions worsened slightly in 2004, but diesels remain significantly more 'carbon efficient' than the equivalent petrol vehicles.
Related Links
SMMT report download
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