New car carbon dioxide emissions
DfT Business plan.
Documents
Details
Geographical coverage: Great Britain
Information broken down by: Region and local authority available on request
Latest data
The average carbon dioxide emissions of cars registered for the first time in the second quarter of 2015 (April to June) was 122.1 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.
Most recent data:
| Quarter | Average CO2/emissions of cars registered for first time (g CO2/km) |
|---|---|
| 2014 April to June | 125.9 |
| 2015 April to June | 122.1 |
| Percentage change | -3% |
Emissions in the first quarter of 2015 were 3% lower than those in the same quarter of the previous year.
Average new car CO2 emissions in 2014 were 3% lower than those in 2013, and 28% lower than in 2003, the first full year for which complete data were available.
Background information
A lower emissions figure represents improvement.
Reliable CO2 emissions data have been available since April 2002, so any averages for the whole of 2002 or earlier should be treated with caution.
Almost all new car models have to undergo a standard emissions test before they are approved for sale. The indicator is the average of the emissions test result for all newly registered cars in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) database for the period in question.
Publishing schedule: quarterly Last updated: 13 August 2015 Next update: November 2015
Other related data and information
Further information
Business Plan 2012 to 2015
Input and impact indicators
Analyst contact: Jeremy Grove, vehicles statistics, 020 7944 3077
Updates to this page
Published 12 December 2013Last updated 15 July 2015 + show all updates
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Page updated to latest quarterly data (January to March 2015).
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Indicator updated to the latest quarterly data (October to December 2014).
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First published.