New cars: more damaging to the planet, but less toxic at ground level

In a recent article, Which? says:


What is a low emission car? Before the 2015 VW emissions scandal, also known as dieselgate, a low emission car simply produced a small amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide). But now we are more aware of pollutants like NOx (oxides of nitrogen), PM (particulate matter) and CO (carbon monoxide) and how poor air quality contributes to tens of thousands of premature deaths here in the UK.

The good news is that in our rigorous lab tests, we've found that, on average, the cars that meet the latest emission regulations (Euro 6d-temp and Euro 6d, [explained in more detail in the article]), are producing a fraction of NOx and CO than the cars they replaced. But to make things more complicated, our tests show that CO2 emissions from these very same cars are actually going up, not down. In a nutshell, we may have saved our lungs at the expense of our planet's health. It also makes buying a low emission car a lot more complicated.

It's not all doom and gloom though. Not only do we expect cars to become more fuel efficient over the next few years as technology is refined, there are some cars available today that strike a balance of low CO2 and low air pollutants such as NOx and CO.

(See the magazine's free car emissions tool, revealing CO, NOX and CO2 for hundreds of cars, so you can make an informed decision on your next purchase.)

The trade body's own figures tend to confirm Which?'s findings, though their media release puts the SMMT's own spin on them.

Going all-electric eliminates the greenhouse gas trouble, but not a factor common to all road vehicles: particles produced on braking and from tyres. There are conflicting reports on how toxic these are, but they are probably less so than the products of combustion.