European Commission Directorate General for Clim : Car and van manufacturers meet CO2 emissions targets for 2016

The new EEA report shows that, based on laboratory tests, the average emissions level of a new car sold in the EU in 2016 was 118.1 grams of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per kilometre, well below the 2015 target of 130 g. A new van sold in the EU in 2016 emitted on average 163.7 grams of CO₂ per kilometre, which is already below the 2017 target of 175 g.

Manufacturers will have to reduce emissions further to meet the targets of 95 g CO₂/km by 2021 for cars and 147 g CO₂/km by 2020 for vans.

For the annual compliance check with CO₂ targets, all EU Member States report CO₂ emission levels from new vehicles annually. These are measured under standardised laboratory conditions, following the requirements of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test procedure for type-approval.

This cycle provides CO₂ emission values that are comparable between different vehicles and manufacturers, but it does not necessarily represent real-world driving conditions. There is now wide recognition of the increasing divergence between real-world CO₂ emissions and those measured according to the NEDC test procedure.

In order to address this increasing gap, the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) has been mandatory in the EU for all new vehicle types since September 2017 and will be mandatory for all new passenger cars from September 2018. Starting from 2021, the emissions targets will be based on the WLTP.

Read more: