According to provisional data released by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars registered in Europe continued their downward trajectory in 2023. Emissions were 1.4% lower than in 2022, representing a significant 28% reduction compared to 2019 levels. The trend persisted for vans as well, with average 2023 emissions dropping to 11% below 2019 figures.
These positive developments are largely attributable to the increasing adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). BEVs achieved market shares of 15.5% for cars and 8% for vans.
In 2023, a total of 10.7 million new passenger cars were registered across the EU, Iceland, and Norway. Provisional data indicates that their average CO2 emissions, as measured during laboratory testing, were 106.6 g CO2/km. This represents a 1.4% decrease (1.5 g/km) from the 2022 average and a substantial 28% decline since 2019. The primary driver of this reduction was the continued surge in fully electric car registrations, which saw their market share climb from 13.5% in 2022 to 15.5%.
Interestingly, the average mass of new cars has been increasing. In 2023, it was 9% higher than in 2019. This is linked to the growing market share of battery electric vehicles, along with a rise in the popularity of electric and conventional SUVs.
The average CO2 emissions from the 1.2 million new vans registered in the EU, Iceland, and Norway in 2023 were 180.8 g CO2/km. This marks a 1.6% (3 g/km) decrease compared to 2022 and an overall 11% reduction since 2019. The electrification of vans also saw steady progress, with the market share of fully electric vans growing to 8% from 6% in 2022.
The European Commission will formally notify all car and van manufacturers of these provisional calculations, including the underlying data. In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/631, manufacturers will have a three-month window to review the preliminary data and flag any factual inaccuracies before the final datasets are published.
While the progress made over the past four years is encouraging, manufacturers must continue to accelerate emission reductions from these vehicles. This is crucial to meeting future targets outlined in the revised CO2 emission performance standards for cars and vans, and to help the EU achieve its 2050 climate-neutrality goal.
