Light vehicle emissions
The NTC reports on the carbon dioxide emissions intensity of new cars and light commercial vehicle sales to provide a transparent benchmark for how Australia’s new car emission performance is tracking.
Key findings from our latest report:
- In 2017 the national average carbon dioxide emissions intensity from new passenger
and light commercial vehicles was 181.7 g/km. This is a 0.3 per cent reduction from
2016. This is the lowest annual reduction since records started in 2002. - Consumer preferences are an important factor affecting the national average of carbon
dioxide emissions intensity for new vehicles. If all Australians who purchased new
vehicles in 2017 had purchased vehicles with best-in-class emissions, the national
average carbon dioxide emissions intensity would have been reduced to 76 g/km,
a 58 per cent reduction. - About 92 per cent of all new vehicle sales in 2017 were from 15 makes. Of these
15 makes, Audi had the lowest corporate average emissions intensity (145 g/km), and
Holden had the highest (219 g/km). - Private buyers purchased vehicles with the lowest average emissions intensity
(176 g/km), followed by business buyers (186 g/km) and government buyers (199 g/km). - There were 97 ‘green’ car models available in Australia in 2017 (compared with 51 in
2016), which represented 3.8 per cent of total sales (compared with 2.5 per cent in
2016). A ‘green’ car is defined as a vehicle with emissions intensity that does not
exceed 120 g/km. - There were 2,424 electric vehicles sold in 2017 (compared to 1,369 in 2016) which is a
77 per cent increase from 2016. - The average emission intensity for new passenger vehicles in European countries
was 118.5 g/km in 2017. In the same year, Australia’s average emissions intensity for
passenger vehicles was 171.5 g/km, 45 per cent higher. - There are many reasons why Australian light vehicle emissions intensity are higher
than in Europe. Some of the reasons include:
- Australian consumer preferences for heavier vehicles with larger and more
powerful engines - Australia has a lower proportion of diesel-powered engines
- Australia has fewer government incentives for lower emissions vehicles
- relatively lower fuel prices in Australia compared with Europe.
- Australian consumer preferences for heavier vehicles with larger and more
This information is based on data provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and published annually.
Publications
- Infographic - Carbon dioxide emissions intensity 2017 information paper (148 KB)
- Carbon dioxide emissions intensity for new Australian light vehicles 2017 information paper (519 KB)
- Carbon Dioxide Emissions Intensity for New Australian Light Vehicles 2016 (306 KB)
- Carbon Dioxide Intensity for New Australian Light Vehicles 2015 Information Paper (2 MB)
- Carbon Dioxide Emissions Intensity for New Australian Vehicles 2014 Information Paper (2 MB)