Average new car CO2 emissions across Europe fell again in 2008 according to a report published by the European Commission.
The report shows that average CO2 emissions from new cars in 2008 were 153.5g/km, a decrease of 5.2g/km from 2007. This represents the largest relative drop in emissions since the beginning of the European monitoring scheme. In the UK alone, the average new car CO2 figure dropped 27.2g/km between 2000 and 2008.
The reduction in average new car CO2 emissions reflects the motor industry’s effort to develop and improve existing technologies. The increase in CO2 based taxes and advertising features such as the new and used car fuel economy labels in the UK have highlighted the significance of CO2 emissions.