The average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new cars registered in Europe increased slightly in 2024, after a significant reduction observed between 2020 and 2023.
The provisional data is from the European Environment Agency (EEA), and was revealed on Wednesday, showing that the average CO2 emissions of new cars last year were 106.8 g CO2/km, compared to 106.4 recorded in 2023, while the emissions of vans rose to 185.4 g CO2/km (180.8 in 2023).
“The average emissions of new cars and vans were below the targets for the entire fleet in 2024, but still significantly above the new targets that apply from 2025”, the EEA stated in a press release.
The provisional data for 2024 revealed is based on information provided by countries, showing that last year in the European Union (EU), Norway, and Iceland, 10.7 million cars were registered (the same number as in 2023) and 1.3 million vans, which represents a 9% increase compared to the previous year (1.2 million).
On the other hand, the share of fully electric cars decreased from 15.5% in 2023 to 14.5%, as did the share of hybrid or plug-in hybrid cars, from 8.1% in 2023 to 7.2% in 2024. Norway (92%), Sweden (62%), and Denmark (56%) are the European countries with the highest shares of electric cars.
In relation to electric vans, their share decreased from 8.3% in 2023 to 6.4% in 2024, which according to the AEA “is the main cause of the increase observed in average emissions to 185.4 grams of CO2/km, an increase of 4.5 g of CO2/km compared to 2023.”
