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PHEVs release almost 5x greater planet-heating pollution than official data show, according to a recent report.

Growing Gap In Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics shows that PHEVs emit just one-fifth less CO₂ than conventional gas and diesel vehicles, based on analysis conducted by a advocacy organization. That differs sharply with lab tests, which assumed a three-quarters decrease in emissions.

Analysts examined data from onboard fuel consumption monitors of eight hundred thousand cars registered in Europe between 2021 and 2023. The team discovered that actual CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than lab estimates, increased from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are rising, while lab-reported emissions are falling,” said a lead researcher participating in the study. “This discrepancy is widening and poses a significant issue. As a result, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as gasoline vehicles.”

Key Reasons Behind the Discrepancy

Analysts attributed the majority of the difference to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers driven in battery mode relative to overall distance. They found that just 27% of driving was completed in electric mode, whereas official estimates suggested 84%.

Even, when running in EV mode, emission amounts were significantly higher than lab projections. That occurred because electric motors were insufficiently powerful enough to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors using gasoline for almost a third of the travel completed in electric mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV CO2 output enabled four large carmaker companies to escape more than €5bn in fines from 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with European Union fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could pay about €500 extra per year in operating expenses than would be assumed under laboratory tests.

“The strong claims that manufacturers often promote about their PHEV vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” stated a automotive expert. “Buyers are being duped into thinking that by buying a PHEV, they are helping the environment and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are little improved than standard petrol and diesel vehicles in terms of energy consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Political Discussion and Industry Pressure

Hybrid cars have recently been drawn again into policy discussions as carmakers have lobbied the EU to relax CO₂ standards. A planned ban on new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced intense pressure from the car sector and opposition from member states with large automotive industries.

Some high-level officials have proposed PHEVs as a possible “compromise” option to introduce in the legislation.

One independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the study, described the analysis a “highly valuable contribution” after years in which segments of the car sector claimed there was too little data to properly assess real-world emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the gap between lab and actual PHEV energy use and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they said. “Any regulatory changes regarding PHEVs should be made with extreme caution and in the light of that evidence.”