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PHEVs emit almost 5x more global warming pollution than official figures show, according to a new report.

Growing Gap Between Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs emit only one-fifth less CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel vehicles, based on research carried out by a non-profit organization. This differs sharply with lab tests, which suggested a 75% decrease in pollution.

Analysts examined information from onboard energy use meters of 800,000 cars sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. They found that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than lab figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Actual CO2 output are increasing, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” said a lead analyst involved in the report. “That gap is widening and creates a significant issue. Consequently, PHEVs emit almost as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Reasons Driving the Emissions Gap

Analysts attributed most of the gap to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles travelled in electric mode relative to overall distance. The team determined that only 27% of driving was done in EV mode, while official estimates assumed 84%.

Additionally, when running in electric mode, pollution levels were well above lab estimates. That happened because electric motors were not strong enough to function alone, leading to combustion motors burning fossil fuels for nearly one-third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Implications

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions enabled four major automaker companies to escape over €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by artificially simplifying adherence with EU fleet-average CO₂ targets.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs could pay about €500 extra per year in running costs than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The strong claims that automakers often promote about their PHEV cars are clearly way off the truth,” commented a transport expert. “Consumers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are little improved than standard gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ emissions, and operating costs.”

Policy Discussion and Automotive Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been drawn again into political discussions as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned prohibition on new internal combustion vehicles in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the automotive industry and opposition from EU countries with large automotive industries.

Several high-level officials have suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” solution to introduce in the legislation.

One external energy policy specialist, who was not involved with the research, described the analysis a “very useful contribution” after years in which segments of the automotive sector claimed there was insufficient data to accurately assess actual CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, without question, that the gap in official and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly larger than for gasoline or conventional cars,” the expert stated. “All policy adjustments regarding PHEVs should be implemented with extreme care and considering that data.”