Total CO₂ emissions from all cars in use and other emissions

Report contents: New car CO₂ emissions | Influences on new car CO₂ emissions | Total CO₂ and other emissions | Light Commercial Vehicle CO₂ emissions | Outlook for new car CO₂ emissions

Page contents: Context: parc size and distance travelled | Total CO₂ emissions by source | Lifecycle CO₂ emissions | Euro emissions standards | Other pollutants

• New, lower CO₂ emitting, vehicles helping to reduce overall emissions from cars.
• Distance travelled and driver focus on efficiency also contributed to emissions cut.
• New cars are some 18% more efficient than the average car in use.

Cars accounted for 14% of total CO₂ emissions in 2011 (noting the total does not include international aviation and shipping bunkers, unlike in previous CO₂ Reports). This was above the rates seen between 2000-2011, despite the reductions in emissions from cars over this period. Cars accounted for 59.8% of CO₂ emissions from road transport in 2011, down from over 65% in 2000 and 60% in 2010.

If you wish to read the report offline, click here to download the SMMT New Car CO2 Report 2013 as a PDF. If you would like to continue reading online, use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate between the different sections of the 2013 report.

Total CO₂ emissions from all cars in use, fuel use, parc and distance travelled

UK total CO₂ emissions by source in 2011

Share by cars and other selected categories (Source DECC)

Total CO₂ emissions from all cars in use (the parc) have fallen in every year since 2000, except 2004. Over this period emissions have fallen 14%. Since 2007 emissions have fallen by 12%, showing the step change over the past four years that is also evident in average new car CO₂ emissions. The reduction in CO₂ emissions in 2011, at 1.8%, was the lowest since 2007 and reflected a rise in distance travelled. Distance travelled is estimated to have fallen in 2012.

CO₂ emissions from all cars in use, parc size and distance travelled

(% change vs 2000 – CO₂ and distance travelled from DECC/DfT, parc figures SMMT)

Emissions of total CO₂ are related to the amount of fuel consumed. This in turn will depend upon vehicle use, including distance travelled, time of use and road conditions. The way the car is driven is also very influential on its efficiency – with eco-driving courses estimated to be able to improve efficiency by some 20% (Source: EST).

The vehicle used will also influence the emissions from the fleet. Replacement of the fleet with new more efficient vehicles will help drive down emissions. Consumers can also minimise emissions by ensuring their vehicle is functioning properly by regularly servicing it, maintaining correct tyre pressures and not carrying items which unnecessarily add weight or reduce the aerodynamic efficiency of their vehicle.

SMMT estimates that the average car in use emitted 164g/km of CO2 in 2012, down 2.6% on 2011. A new car is 18.8% more efficient then the average car in use. This gap has widened in recent years due to the progress in efficiency in new cars. In 2010 the average car in use had emissions within 15% of a new car. Given a car typically has a 14 year lifetime before it is scrapped, a new car is some 30% more efficient than one leaving the parc.

Distribution of parc by CO2

In 2012 some 15% of the car parc emitted 130g/km or less CO2 and 1% emitted 100g/km or less CO2. By comparison the figures for new cars were over 55% and 8.6% respectively. New cars registered in 2012 accounted for 56% of the parc emitting 100g/km or less, with cars registered in the past three years accounting for 93% of those vehicles. For those emitting 130g/km or less the proportion of one year and up to three year old cars was 23.8% and 59.1% respectively.

In 2012 diesel cars represented 32.6% of the parc, having surpassed ten million units for the first time. In 2000 diesels represented just 12% of the parc, but given the growth in new diesel car registrations (they accounted for over half the new market in 2012), their share in the parc has risen rapidly. Alternatively-fuelled cars represented 0.5% of the parc in 2012, up from 0.2% in 2007, with volumes growing by a fifth in 2012 to over 140,000 units.

The slowdown in new car registrations since the recession – from 2.4 million units plus to closer to two million units – has seen the average age of cars in the parc rise to 7.6 years old, from under seven in 2007. Increasing the rate of vehicle replacement and enhancing the uptake, in particular of ultra-low emitting vehicles, will help improve the overall parc’s CO₂ performance.

The improvement in the efficiency of the new car fleet is helping consumers to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs and reduce their environmental impact. In turn this is helping to reduce the UK’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The move to lower CO₂ emitting vehicles is, however, having an impact on government revenue. A more efficient fleet requires less fuel, and so contributes less to the exchequer in fuel duty revenue. The pace of progress in vehicle efficiency has also curbed revenue from CO₂ based taxes such as vehicle excise duty (VED) and company car tax (CCT). This has prompted government to announce plans to raise the CO₂ thresholds on CCT and also review CO₂ thresholds and rates on VED.

Given the subdued economic setting and need to maintain the replacement cycle in the fleet the automotive sector is concerned over radical changes to vehicle taxation, to which consumers and industry alike will not be able to react sufficiently quickly. Changes announced in the 2012 Budget to the CCT regime, notably on plans to remove the electric vehicle exemption in 2015, had an immediate impact on the market and unsettled demand. Electric vehicle volumes fell between April and August, before recovering and growing strongly towards the end of the year.

The replacement cycle has already slowed, due to the recession. The new car market is some 15% below pre-recession levels and is not expected to recover to pre-cession levels – in 2007 it was 2.4 million units – for several years at least.

There is the possibility that as the economy does recover, some of the progress in shifting consumer buying habits and driving styles might be reversed. Industry believes further effort should be made to raise awareness, promote the benefits, and ease concerns about ownership and use of innovative technologies, especially alternatively-fuelled vehicles. Measures to promote eco-driving and effective journey planning should also continue to enhance the progress made in reducing emissions from vehicles in use.

The industry estimates that 85% of the life-cycle emissions of a conventionally powered car are associated with the in-use phase. The automotive sector has also made significant progress in the energy associated with producing vehicles, as shown in SMMT’s annual Sustainability Report – reducing emissions at vehicle assembly plants by over 40% on average over the past decade. At the end of a vehicle’s life 85% by weight is reused recycling or recovered. This is to rise to 95% in 2015.

If you wish to read the report offline, click here to download the SMMT New Car CO2 Report 2013 as a PDF. If you would like to continue reading online, use the tabs at the top of the page to navigate between the different sections of the 2013 report.

Lifecycle CO₂ emissions