CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in the EU: Car manufacturers’ performance in 2015

This briefing paper summarizes and analyzes preliminary data for 2015 recently released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars in the EU. The EEA data show that the mandatory emission reduction target set by the EU legislation for 2015 has been met on average. New cars sold in the EU in 2015 had average CO2 emissions of 119.6 g CO₂/km, which was 8% below the 2015 target, and 3% lower than in 2014.

The paper details manufacturers’ performance in terms of CO₂ emissions reduction, fuel and technology trends, and market share. It focuses on differences between Member States and between the major manufacturer groups. All manufacturer groups met their mandatory CO₂ emission limits in 2015. Some, such as PSA Group and Toyota-Daihatsu, are well on their way to reaching the 2020/21 target, which requires an additional reduction of approximately 27% in average CO₂ emissions compared to 2015 levels. Others will have to make considerable progress to achieve the 2020/21 target on time.

The paper also discusses the impact of the super-credit provision on the average CO₂ emissions values of manufacturer groups. Super-credits are multipliers that give vehicles with emissions below 50 CO₂ g/km a higher weight in the calculation of manufacturers’ average emissions. The super-credit multiplier was 1.5 in 2015, and the impact of super-credits was below 1 g CO₂/km for all manufacturer groups. The first stage of the super-credit provision finished in 2015. Super-credits will be reintroduced from 2020 to 2023.

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