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UK car manufacturers and dealers must do more to publicise
the CO2 emissions of the vehicles they
sell, a leading environmental body has demanded.
A wide-ranging review of the passenger car market over the
past four decades by independent environmental organisation
- The Energy Saving Trust (EST)
- has found that car buyers are making 'poor choices -
both economically and environmentally' when it comes to
buying new cars - despite good incentives to choose low CO2
vehicles and a wider range of vehicle models available.
In addition, it points to a 'market failure' - citing
'the current market structure, where more desirable cars
within vehicle model ranges tend to have higher CO2
emissions and lack of awareness and advice which makes carbon
dioxide-saving information clearer".
The findings of the report - 'Driven' - are backed-up
by consumer research, commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust,
which shows that nearly three-quarters of UK drivers (74 per
cent) do not know how much carbon dioxide their car emits.
Yet, when buying a car, nine in ten people (89 per cent) want
environmental features brought to their attention.
The survey of 1511 UK drivers found that nearly half (48
per cent) are considering replacing their car in the next
year. If everyone who buys a new car chooses the greenest
car in its class - e.g. supermini/MPV - a typical
motorist could save £375 a year in fuel costs - or nearly
£1bn for all UK motorists. This does not include savings in
terms of lower vehicle purchase costs and reduced vehicle
excise duty and insurance.
According to Energy Saving Trust Chief Executive, Philip
Sellwood, car manufacturers, dealers and drivers all have
a vital role to play. He said - "The bottom-line is that,
at the moment, the car market is failing - there is no good
reason why, at a time of rising fuel prices and higher vehicle
excise duties for higher CO2 vehicles,
people are continuing to buy inefficient cars. It's not good
for the environment or the pockets of customers.
"While car manufacturers are starting to place CO2
information more prominently in their advertising, this is
only helpful up to a certain point. For many years, manufacturers
have marketed the higher-carbon vehicles within a vehicle
range as better quality, more expensive, faster and even more
desirable - influencing consumers to make irrational choices
with regard to fuel and running costs. Dealers are making
inroads by displaying information on the cost implications
of choosing greener cars more prominently. However, more still
needs to be done to help educate drivers earlier on in the
decision-making process."
According to Energy Saving Trust figures, new vehicles registered
in the UK in 2007 produce annual emissions of 6.5 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide, but the organisation predicts this
could be reduced by 25 per cent over the next five years through
encouraging the purchase of cars with lower emissions.
The Energy Saving Trust's consumer research also found that
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- Fifty per cent say they would drive more efficiently if
they had more information as to how it would save money
and carbon dioxide emissions.
- More than half (51 per cent) of those shown a list of
popular cars had no idea which was greenest.
- When looking at car advertisements and asked what grabs
their attention, fuel efficiency came third (18 per cent),
behind style and look (23 per cent) and price (24 per cent).
- More than half (51 per cent) say they take the car to
travel distances of less than one mile, with this figure
rising to seven in ten (71 per cent) for a journey of fewer
than one-and-a-half miles - and
- Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) say bad weather was a
reason for taking the car, rather than walking a short distance.
In the UK, the road transport sector produces around a quarter
of CO2 emissions, with nearly 60 per
cent coming from passenger cars.
While emissions from most sectors have been decreasing, transport
emissions have increased significantly since the 1970s. Since
1970, sales of vehicles in the UK have risen from one million
to more than 2.4 million per year, with people keeping their
cars for between three and five years before replacing them.
The report finds that, while in most consumer markets, products
become more efficient and smaller as they evolve over time,
this has not happened with cars. In fact, the opposite is
true - cars are now larger, more powerful and heavier than
they have ever been. Studies show that vehicle weight has
increased by between 30 and 40 per cent since the 1970s.
The report also considers 'smarter driving' and finds
that drivers can save 15 per cent on running costs if they
follow efficient driving techniques. The Energy Saving Trust
calculates that, if every driver in the UK drove their cars
smarter, motorists could save nearly £6bn per year in fuel
costs.
To download the report - 'Driven' - Cllick
Here
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