February 4, 2022 – The carbon dioxide emissions of new cars sold in the UK dropped to the lowest level ever in 2021 thanks to the unprecedented surge in electric vehicle sales, industry data suggests.
Average new car CO2 emissions fell by 11.2%, to 119.7g for every kilometer driven, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. Car sales data for January showed that the number of battery electric cars more than doubled year on year to 14,400, accounting for 12.5% of cars sold.
Ben Nelmes, the head of policy and research at the thinktank New AutoMotive, said: “Electric car sales have doubled in the last year, but there is still a mountain to climb to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions from cars. The 90,000 internal combustion engines that rolled off forecourts this month will continue to pollute and hit motorists in their pockets for another 14 years, on average.”
