CO2 Emissions Regulatory Framework - Which? response

Which? is concerned that the current official method of calculating greenhouse gas emissions from Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) does not reflect real-life emissions. We believe that the official tests need to be reformed in order to give a more accurate representation of CO₂ emissions from these vehicles, and that these updated figures should be included as part of the chosen framework to regulate CO₂ emissions.

Which? is committed to bringing sustainability into everything we do, including through our advocacy, product testing and investigations, and we have identified electric vehicles (EVs) as a key priority area where the transition to more sustainable living will have a significant impact on consumers over the next few years. EVs and PHEVs have been a part of our rigorous product testing since these types of cars became available to the UK public, and we have conducted a number of investigations including into the public charging network and the upfront cost of new EVs. We also run an annual car survey which we believe is the largest consumer survey on car reliability in the UK. 

We therefore welcome this consultation on a new road vehicle CO₂ emissions regulatory framework for the UK, and are responding to the following sections of the consultation:

• Significant Zero Emission Capability 

We have limited our response to focus on Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles as this is where we have most expertise and data to contribute at this stage and would be pleased to discuss any aspect of this research in more detail.