Source: European Environment Agency

According to provisional data released by the European Environment Agency (EEA), average CO2 emissions from newly registered cars in Europe continued to decline in 2023, showing a 1.4% reduction compared to 2022. Similarly, emissions from new vans decreased by 1.6% from the previous year. These declines are largely attributed to the increasing prevalence of fully electric vehicles.

The provisional data, detailing newly registered cars and vans in Europe, indicate that 10.7 million new cars were registered in Europe in 2023, marking a 13.2% rise from 2022. Nearly a quarter of these registrations were electric, either fully or as plug-in hybrids, with Norway, Sweden, and Iceland having the highest shares of electric cars at 90.5%, 60.7%, and 60.4%, respectively.

In 2023, 1.2 million new vans were registered in Europe, representing a 20.2% increase from 2022 levels. The proportion of electric vans reached 8%, with more than half of these registrations occurring in France, Germany, and Sweden.

Key figures:

• New passenger cars: 10.7 million registrations (+13.2% from 2022), 106.6 g CO2/km average emissions (-1.4%), 23.6% electric (including plug-in hybrids), 15.5% fully electric, and an average mass of 1,545 kg (+1.3%).
• New vans: 1.2 million registrations (+20.2% from 2022), 180.8 g CO2/km average emissions (-1.6%), 8% fully electric, and an average mass of 1,896 kg (+1%).

The transport sector accounts for approximately a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, with road transport contributing approximately three-quarters of this. The EU aims to reduce transport emissions by 90% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels and achieve zero emissions for all new cars and vans by 2035.

About the vehicle data

The EEA gathers data on new vehicle registrations in Europe under Regulation (EU) 2019/631, based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). The data, which will be finalized later in the year after manufacturers review them, are currently provisional. The EEA also publishes real-world CO2 emissions and fuel consumption data, collected via on-board fuel consumption monitoring (OBFCM) devices, to compare laboratory and actual road performance. Further analysis is provided by the European Commission.

Provisional datasets reflect the CO2 emissions calculated through laboratory testing, the EEA has previously published data on real-world CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of cars and vans.