A New SUV Is Worse For The Planet Than A Ten-Year-Old Car

The prevalence of SUVs on our roads is causing chaos thanks to the particulate matter they kick up off their tires and the rising number of pedestrians and cyclists they hit every year. Now, it turns out that they’re also making our air worse, as the average car sold today emits more CO2 than the average car you could buy just ten years ago.

Matthew Gray Gubler And His Toyota 4Runner | My First Car

That slightly backwards sounding statistic comes from a new report from environmental charity Possible, which was brought to our attention by the Guardian. The popularity of SUVs across countries like the UK and the U.S. mean that the average car sold today has taken a backwards step in terms of its environmental impact.

Because heavier SUVs with larger engines and are more prevalent than they were ten years ago, any improvements in the efficiency of car engines has been offset by the weight and sheer number of SUVs that are now on the road. As the Guardian explains:

The effect of rising sales of SUVs, and the fact they tend to be notably heavier than the traditional models previously bought, means the average conventional-engined car bought in 2023 has higher carbon emissions than its 2013 equivalent, the study calculated.

The report called for a distinction between drivers being charged based on greenhouse gas emissions rather than for emissions with direct public health effects, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The CO2 emissions for the average car dropped dramatically between 2011 and 2016, when average new car emissions reached 120g per km (that’s about 6.8 ounces per mile, or whatever weird figure America uses.) Since then, emissions have been steadily rising, with Possible reporting that the figure for cars sold in 2023 is edging closer to 130g per km (7.4 ounces per mile) covered.

Count the SUVs: one, two, tree…Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP (Getty Images)

The rise, the report says, is because SUVs have on average 20 percent higher CO2 emissions than conventional cars.

The report also found a correlation between wealth an emissions, as it claimed that better off people would be more likely to own a more polluting SUV. As the Guardian explains:

Data on vehicle ownership in England showed that households in the top 20% income bracket are 81% more likely to own a highly emitting car than vehicle owners in the other 80%.

The top 20% income group drive three times as many miles a year as those in the bottom income quintile.

It’s because of this disparity between the environmental impact of higher paid people and lower income families that Possible used its report to call for increased taxes on the wealthiest, highest polluters.

By its calculations, the charity found that if you can afford a more polluting car, to travel via private jet and live off environmentally-intense foods like red meat and shrimp, you should probably cough up a little more tax to offset your exuberance.