CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles

ClientEarth argues that the UK government's proposed approach to retaining EU CO2 emission standards is insufficient and potentially weakens regulatory requirements. The organization urges the government to adjust the vehicle mass baseline (M0) to reflect UK averages, reduce sales volume derogation thresholds, and introduce a binding zero exhaust emission vehicle (ZEEV) mandate to phase out petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicles by 2030.

• The UK government's proposal to retain the EU's CO2 emission formula without adjusting the 'M0' number to reflect the higher average mass of cars sold in the UK would effectively weaken the 2021 emission target. While the EU target is 95g/km, analysis suggests the UK target would increase to over 100g/km.
• ClientEarth warns that a relaxation of the 2021 CO2 standard could negatively impact future targets for 2025 and 2030, as these are calculated based on the 2021 baseline, potentially discouraging the supply of zero exhaust emission vehicles (ZEEVs) in the UK.
• Existing EU CO2 standards are deemed insufficient to drive the necessary transition away from internal combustion engines to meet climate and air quality goals. ClientEarth recommends a binding ZEEV mandate to ensure a complete phase-out of petrol, diesel, and hybrid vehicles by 2030.
• Road transport is identified as a primary source of pollution in the UK, contributing up to 80% of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in areas with illegal levels and 12% of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions nationwide (rising to 30% in London).
• The proposal to maintain the EU's 1,000-unit sales volume threshold for exemptions from CO2 standards is viewed as a weakening of regulation because the UK market is significantly smaller than the EU market (approximately 15% for cars and 19% for light commercial vehicles).

APA

ClientEarth (2020). CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. https://www.clientearth.org/media/15djowgl/2020-08-21-co2-emission-performance-standards-for-new-passenger-cars-and-light-commercial-vehicles-consultation-response-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/15djowgl/2020-08-21-co2-emission-performance-standards-for-new-passenger-cars-and-light-commercial-vehicles-consultation-response-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles |date=August 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/15djowgl/2020-08-21-co2-emission-performance-standards-for-new-passenger-cars-and-light-commercial-vehicles-consultation-response-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020co2, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/15djowgl/2020-08-21-co2-emission-performance-standards-for-new-passenger-cars-and-light-commercial-vehicles-consultation-response-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }