CO2 emission standards for light-duty vehicles

LATEST UPDATE (September 2020)

On 17 April 2019, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EU) 2019/631 setting CO₂ emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new vans in the EU. This Regulation started applying on 1 January 2020, replacing and repealing Regulations (EC) 443/2009 (cars) and (EU) 510/2011 (vans). The new Regulation maintains the targets for 2020, which were set out in the former Regulations. It adds new targets that apply from 2025 and 2030.

Regulation (EU) 2019/631 sets new EU fleet-wide CO₂ emission targets. These targets are set for the years 2025 and 2030, both for newly registered passenger cars and for newly registered vans.

The targets are defined as a percentage reduction from the 2021 starting points:

• Cars: 15% reduction from 2025 on and 37.5% reduction from 2030 on
• Vans: 15% reduction from 2025 on and 31% reduction from 2030 on

The specific emission targets for manufacturers to comply with, are based on the EU fleet-wide targets, taking into account the average test mass of a manufacturer’s newly registered vehicles.

The regulation also contains incentive mechanisms for zero- and low-emissions vehicles (ZLEV).

CURRENT EU LEGISLATION

Regulation (EU) 2019/631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 setting CO₂ emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 443/2009 and (EU) No 510/2011 (Text with EEA relevance.)

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32019R0631

HISTORY OF CO₂ EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR LIGHT DUTY

Regulation (EC) 443/2009, set mandatory emission reduction targets for new cars. Regulation (EC)510/2011 set the reduction targets for vans. The first target fully applied from 2015 onward and a new target is being phased in in 2020 and fully applies from 2021 onward.