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Cutting CO2 emissions is not on top of new car buyers’ list

Cutting CO2 emissions is not on top of new car buyers’ list

In France, price and fuel consumption were identified as key factors determining choice. In the UK running costs were judged most important.  These findings tend to support the conclusion, already expressed by the European Commission, that current CO2 labelling is failing to encourage consumers to attach importance to emission levels and make their choices accordingly.

In the French survey, carried out for the Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME), only 10% said that CO2 levels were an important criterion in choosing which car to buy. But fuel consumption – which directly affects CO2 emissions – did matter for 22% of the respondents who had purchased a new car since the labeling requirement came into force in France in May last year.

Both dealers (93%) and buyers (55%) say they are aware of the labels. About half of the buyers regard them as an information tool but only 10% regard them as an encouragement to buy low-emitting vehicles. The vast majority of individuals (78%) do know their car’s average fuel consumption but only 11% could say what its CO2 emissions were.

French car dealers are quite sure (80%) that price mainly determines consumers’ choice of vehicles and only 13% think fuel consumption influences the choice.  Nearly 90% of car dealers know the CO2 emissions of cars they are selling, mostly because of their technical specifications documents rather than the CO2 label.

In the UK survey for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, only 13% of respondents said low CO2 was more important than low annual running costs in choosing a car. A large group (45%) said they would be equally important, but 11 per cent said neither would feature on their radar.

Related Links:
ADEME
SMMT

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