Passenger vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption

Thirteen countries worldwide have established or proposed fuel efficiency or greenhouse-gas emission standards for passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles and trucks. The regulations in these markets, covering more than 85 percent of global passenger vehicle sales, influence the business decisions of major vehicle manufacturers around the world, and are among the most effective climate-change mitigation measures to have been implemented over the past decade.

These governments have taken differing approaches to designing their regulations, using different drive cycles and vehicle certification test procedures. Converting the standard values—that is, the fuel efficiency mandates or emissions limits—between different regulations involves not just converting physical units but also accounting for the impacts of differences in test cycles.

Since 2007, the ICCT has maintained a set of data tables, comparison charts, and a conversion tool as a ready reference to worldwide passenger vehicle fuel efficiency standards, with the aim of comparing the relative stringency of regulations as accurately and fairly as possible. The increasingly urgent need for effective policies on climate change mitigation and energy efficiency has only underscored the importance of accessible, reliable, and fair benchmarking across jurisdictions.

In 2014 we comprehensively updated the methodology underlying those resources. See the summary overview of those updates, and a detailed description of the methodology to learn more. The results are reflected in our library of comparison charts, and in the modified Excel-based conversion tool (links below). In 2017 we released a comprehensive report that updates the fuel efficiency policy of major vehicle markets. Future policy changes will be noted on our factsheets for each market (see below).

For more information contact: Zifei Yang, Program Lead

Sources and tools

Global CO₂ comparison charts

Updated November 2024

Passenger car gCO2/km emissions, normalized to NEDC

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Light truck gCO2/km emissions, normalized to NEDC

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Passenger car gCO2/km emissions, normalized to WLTP

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Light truck gCO2/km emissions, normalized to WLTP

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Overview of fuel efficiency and CO₂ emission standards of passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles around the world

Updated August 2023

Table 1. Definitions of passenger car and light truck/commercial vehicles

Region	Passenger Car		Light Truck/Commercial Vehicle
	Max. GVW	Max. Seats	Max. GVW	Others
EU	3,500 kg	9	3,500 kg
China	3,500 kg	9	3,500 kg	Include passenger cars with seats > 9
U.S.	3,856 kg	10	3,856 kg	GVW > 2722 kg including vehicles with four-wheel drive and meet various off-road requirements e.g., ground clearance
Canada	3,856 kg	10	3,856 kg	GVW > 2722 kg including vehicles with four-wheel drive and meet various off-road requirements e.g., ground clearance
India	3,500 kg	9	3,500 kg
Brazil	3,856 kg	12	3,856 kg	Compact SUVs are classified as passenger cars, other SUVs including off-road and large SUVs are classified as a third separate category
South Korea	3,500 kg	10	3,500 kg
UK	3,500 kg	9	3,500 kg
New Zealand	3,500 kg	9	3,500 kg	Include vans with seats > 9
Mexico	3,857 kg	10	3,856 kg
Japan	3,500 kg	/	3,500 kg
Chile	2,700 kg	/	2,700 kg

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Table 2. Fleet specifications of passenger cars

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Table 3. Fleet specifications of light commercial vehicles

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Table 4. Overview of regulations for passenger cars

Region	Target Year	Regulated Metric	Unadjusted Fleet Target/Measure	Attribute-based	Corporate Average	Test Cycle
EU	2025 2030 2035	CO₂	93 g/km 49 g/km 0 g/km	Curb Weight	Yes	WLTP
China	2021 - 2025	Fuel consumption	5.7 - 4.6 l/100km	Curb Weight	Yes	WLTP
U.S.	2024 - 2026(proposal)	Fuel economy	49.2 - 58.1 mpg 60.0 - 66.4 mpg	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
U.S.	2023 - 2026 2027 - 2032 (proposal)	GHG	166 - 132 g/mi 134 - 73 g/m mpg	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
Canada	2023 - 2026	GHG	161 - 148 g/mi	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
India	FY 2022 - 2023	Fuel consumption	4.77 l/100km	Curb Weight	Yes	NEDC
Brazil	2022	Energy consumption	1.62 MJ/km	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
South Korea	2021 - 2030	GHG	97 - 70 g/km	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
UK	2024 - 2035 (proposal)	CO₂	120 - 0 g/km	Flat targets for ICE vehicles	Yes	WLTP
New Zealand	2023 - 2027	CO₂	145 - 63.3 g/km	Tare Weight	Yes	3P-WLTP
Mexico	2025 - 2027 (proposal)	GHG	104.4 - 88.9 g/km	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
Japan	2030	Fuel efficiency	25.4 km/l	Curb Weight	Yes	3P-WLTP
Chile^a	2024 - 2026 2027 - 2029 2030	Fuel efficiency	18.8 km/l 22.8 km/l 28.9 km/l	Curb Weight	Yes	WLTP

Note:
(a) Fuel economy targets will be applied to the whole light-duty vehicle fleet

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Table 5. Overview of regulations for light commercial vehicles

Region	Target Year	Regulated Metric	Unadjusted Fleet Target/Measure	Attribute-Based	Corporate Average	Test Cycle
EU	2025 2030 2035	CO₂	153 g/km 90 g/km 0 g/km	Curb Weight	Yes	WLTP
China	2026 - 2030 (proposal)	Fuel consumption	N1: 7.3 - 5.9 l/100km M2: 8.2 - 6.6 l/100km	Test Weight	Yes	WLTP
U.S.	2024 - 2026 2027- 2032 (proposal)	Fuel economy	35.1 - 41.5 mpg 44.4 - 54.4 mpg	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
U.S.	2023 - 2026 2027 - 2032 (proposal)	GHG	234 - 187 g/mi 163 - 89 g/mi	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
Canada	2023 - 2026	GHG	238 - 190 g/mi	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
Brazil	2022	Energy consumption	Off-road and large SUVs: 2.04 MJ/km	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
Brazil	2022	Energy consumption	Light commercial vehicles: 2.68 MJ/km	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
South Korea	2021 - 2030	GHG	166 - 146 g/km	Curb Weight	Yes	U.S. combined
UK	2024 - 2035,br.(proposal)	CO₂	192 - 0 g/km	Flat targets for ICE vehicles	Yes	WLTP
New Zealand	2023 - 2027	CO₂	218.3 - 87.2 g/km	Curb Weight	Yes	3P-WLTP
Mexico	2025 - 2027 (proposal)	GHG	151.1 - 130.7 g/km	Footprint	Yes	U.S. combined
Japan	2022	Fuel efficiency	17.9 km/l	Weight-class	Bin-based	JC08
Chile^a	2024 - 2026 2027 - 2029 2030	Fuel efficiency	18.8 km/l 22.8 km/l 28.9 km/l	Curb Weight	Yes	WLTP

Note:
(a) Fuel economy targets will be applied to the whole light-duty vehicle fleet.

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Table 6. Credit banking and trading systems

Region	Rule	Carry Forward	Carry Backward
China	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Transfer between related manufacturers Trade between manufacturers	3 Years (With a 90% discount)	120 days
U.S.	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Transfer between passenger cars and light trucks (unlimited for GHG, limited to 2.0 mpg for fuel economy) Trade between manufacturers Adjustment and extension factors apply	5 Years	3 Years
South Korea	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Trade between manufacturers Small-scale manufacturers are excluded	5 Years from 2021	/
UK (proposal)	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Trade between manufacturers Transfer exceedance to ZEV mandate scheme (2024–2026 only, with cap)	3 Years
New Zealand	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Transfer between passenger light vehicle importers	3 Years	1 Year (PVs only)
Mexico (proposal)	Accumulate the exceedance as credit Trade between manufacturers	Not defined in the proposal	8 Years (2019 - 2027)

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Table 7. Overview of off-cycle credit system in passenger car fuel economy standards

Region	Technology	Max. Credit
EU	Eco-innovation technologies: LED lights, 48V motor generator with DC/DC converter, alternator, 12V motor generator, and smart diesel fuel heater	7 g/km (before 2025) 6 g/km (2025-2029) 4 g/km (2030-2034) Internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) only
China	Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)	0.15 l/100km
China	High-efficiency A/C	0.20 l/100km
U.S.	16 menu off-cycle technologies and additional technologies upon application	10 g/mi (pre MY 2023) 15 g/mi (MY 2023-2026) 10 to 0 g/mi, EVs excluded (MY 2027-2032 proposal)
	A/C refrigerant leakage/alternative refrigerant	6.3 g/mi or 13.8 g/mi (whichever is higher) (before MY 2027)
	A/C efficiency	5.0 g/mi EVs excluded (MY 2027-2032 proposal)
India	Regenerative breaking	9 g/km
	Start-Stop System
	Tire pressure monitoring system
	6 or more Speed Transmission
Brazil	Start-Stop System	PVs: 0.227 MJ/km LCVs: 0.0439 MJ/km
	Front grille control system	0.0049 MJ/km
	Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)	0.0134 MJ/km
	Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)	0.0134 MJ/km
	High efficiency lights (LEDs)	0.0079 MJ/km
South Korea	Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)	17.9 g/km or 4.5km/l
	Low friction tires
	Gear Shift Indicator (GSI)
	High-efficiency A/C
	Other technologies
UK	Eco-innovation technologies: LED lights, 48V motor generator with DC/DC converter, alternator, 12V motor generator, and smart diesel fuel heater	7 g/km
Mexico (proposal)	Off-cycle credits (menu technology and additional technology upon approval)	6.25 g/km
	High efficiency lights	0.36 g/km
	Active aerodynamic improvements	1.2 g/km
	Heat recovery technology	1.55 g/km
	Engine with stop-start system	1.15 g/km
	Active engine heating system	1.1 g/km
	Active transmission heating system	1.21 g/km
	Thermal controls	1.9 g/km
	Solar panels	1.6 (battery charge + active cabin ventilation 75w) 2.0 g/km (battery charge 75w)
	Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)	0.6 g/km
	Electric heater circulation system	1.92 g/km
	A/C refrigerant leakage	4.12 g/km (MY 2025 – 2027 only)
	A/C refrigerant leakage/alternative refrigerant	9.04 g/km (MY 2025 – 2027 only)
	A/C efficiency; 8 menu off-cycle technologies	6.22 g/km (MY 2025 – 2027 only)

View data

Table 8. Overview of different vehicle super credit systems in vehicle fuel economy standards

Region	Target year	Multiplier	Qualified vehicles	Note
EU	2020	2	CO₂ ≤50 g/km (NEDC)	Up to 7.5 g/km over the three-year period from 2020-2022
	2021	1.67
	2022	1.33
	2023	1
China	2021	2	Battery electric vehicles (BEVs)/Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) (mileage ≥ 43 km)
	2022	1.8
	2023	1.6
	2024	1.3
	2025	1
	2021	1.4	Non-EVs < 3.2 l/100km
	2022	1.3
	2023	1.2
	2024	1.1
	2025	1
U.S.	2023-2024	1.5	BEVs and Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs)	Up to 10.0 g/mi over MYs 2022–2025
	2025 and later	1	BEVs and Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs)
	2023-2024	1.3	PHEVs
	2025 and later	1	PHEVs
Canada	2020	2.25	BEVs and FCVs
	2021	2
	2022-2025	1.5
	2020	1.95	PHEVs
	2021	1.8
	2022-2025	1.3
	2020	1.45	Natural gas vehicles	Including dual fuel vehicles
	2021	1.3
	2022-2025	1
India	2022-2023	2	Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs)
		2.5	PHEVs
		3	BEVs
South Korea	2021-2023	3	BEVs and FCVs	Multiplier for compact vehicles is reduced by 0.3 Vehicles with manual transmissions receive 5.4 g/km reduction LPG vehicles receive 5% - 10% GHG emissions reduction by 2027 with a cap of 15 g/km
	2024	2.5
	2025	2
	2026	1.5
	2027-2030	1
	2021-2023	2	HEVs and PHEVs
	2024	1.75
	2025	1.5
	2026	1.25
	2027-2030	1
UK	2020	2	CO₂ ≤50 g/km	Up to 3.75 g/km over the two-year period from 2021 to 2022
	2021	1.67
	2022	1.33
Mexico	2019 - 2024	/	BEVs, FCVs, HEVs, PHEVs, and ICEVs with emissions 20% below the annual limit	1.8 g/km reduction
	2025 - 2027	13.5	BEVs and FCVs	The OEM determines the number of sales be multiplied within the range of 0-50% of total sales of EVs, PHEVs and HEVs.
		8.3	PHEVs
		5	HEVs

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Table 9. Derogations for small manufacturers

Region	Definition of Small Manufacturers	Flexibility Mechanism
EU	<10,000 new passenger cars <22,000 new light commercial vehicles	Based on proposed specific emissions target consistent with the economic and technological potential to reduce CO2 emissions Manufacturers with < 1,000 new passenger cars or new light commercial vehicles annual sales are exempted from CO2 emissions standards
China	< 2,000 annual production or imports	2021–2023: If the CAFC drops by 4% compared to the previous year, the CAFC standard is relaxed by 60%; If the CAFC drop is between 2%–4%, the CAFC standard is relaxed by 30%
U.S.	≤ 1,500 employees	Exempted from GHG standards
Canada	< 750 LDV annual production or imports, calculated as a three-year rolling average	Exempted from GHG standards
India	≤ 5,000 manufactured/imported units	Small manufacturers opting for alternate target, the target ‘T’ is calculated as below: 2017 - 2021: T = P (proposed target) 2022 – 2023: T = P * 0.830
Korea	≤ 4,500 automobile sales in 2009	A relaxed standard of 8% (2021-2022), 10% (2023), 11% (2024), 14% (2025- 2026), 13% (2027), 12% (2028), 11% (2029), and 10% (2030)
Korea	≤ 500 automobile sales in 2009	The government established a specific target in consultation with the manufacturer
UK	< 1,000 new passenger cars or new light commercial vehicles annual sales	Exempted from CO₂ emissions standards
New Zealand	No special treatment	No special treatment
Mexico (proposal)	≤ 500 vehicle sales	Exempted from GHG emissions standards

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Table 10. Fuel efficiency and GHG standards regulatory agencies and document

Region	Regulatory Agency	Regulation
EU	European Parliament; Council of the European Union	Regulation (EU) No. 2019/631 Regulation (EU) No. 2021/0197
China	Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)	Fuel consumption evaluation methods and targets for passenger cars Fuel consumption limits for passenger cars Limits of fuel consumption for light-duty commercial vehicles Limits of fuel consumption for light-duty commercial vehicles (proposal)
U.S.	United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (40 CFR Parts 86 and 600)
U.S.	National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)	Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Model Years 2024-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks (49 CFR Parts 523, 531, 533, 536, and 537)
Canada	Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)	Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations Regulations Amending the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations
India	Ministry of Power (MOP)	S.O.1072(E) S.O.5020(E)
Brazil	Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC)	DECRETO Nº 9.557 LEI Nº 13.755
South Korea	Ministry of the Environment (MOE); Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE)	Notice on the application and management of vehicle average energy efficiency standards and greenhouse gas emission permitting standards and specifications
UK	Department of Transport (MOT)	UK’s ZEV mandate and CO2 emissions regulation for new cars and vans (proposal)
New Zealand	The Ministry of Transport	Land Transport (Clean Vehicles) Amendment Act 2022
Mexico	Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources	NOM-163-SEMARNAT-ENER- Proyecto de Modificación a la NOM-163
Japan	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)	乗用車の2030年度燃費基準に関する最終とりまとめ（令和元年6月）小型貨物車の2022年度燃費基準に関する最終とりまとめ（平成27年3月）
Chile	Ministry of Energy (MOE)	Law 21.305 on Energy Efficiency

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Quick Resources

Links to country-specific information in fact sheets and on transportpolicy.net

Brazil

European Union

Mexico

Canada

India

South Korea

China

Japan

United States

Passenger vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption

Sources and tools

Global CO2 comparison charts

Passenger car gCO2/km emissions, normalized to NEDC

Light truck gCO2/km emissions, normalized to NEDC

Passenger car gCO2/km emissions, normalized to WLTP

Light truck gCO2/km emissions, normalized to WLTP

Overview of fuel efficiency and CO2 emission standards of passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles around the world

Table 1. Definitions of passenger car and light truck/commercial vehicles

Table 2. Fleet specifications of passenger cars

Table 3. Fleet specifications of light commercial vehicles

Table 4. Overview of regulations for passenger cars

Table 5. Overview of regulations for light commercial vehicles

Table 6. Credit banking and trading systems

Table 7. Overview of off-cycle credit system in passenger car fuel economy standards

Table 8. Overview of different vehicle super credit systems in vehicle fuel economy standards

Table 9. Derogations for small manufacturers

Table 10. Fuel efficiency and GHG standards regulatory agencies and document

Quick Resources

Global CO₂ comparison charts

Overview of fuel efficiency and CO₂ emission standards of passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles around the world