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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles emit nearly five times greater global warming emissions than official data indicate, as per a new report.

Widening Gap Between Official and Actual Emissions

Data shows that PHEVs release just 19% lower CO₂ than traditional petrol and diesel cars, based on analysis carried out by a non-profit group. This contrasts sharply with laboratory tests, which suggested a 75% reduction in emissions.

Analysts studied data from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars registered in the EU from 2021 and 2023. They discovered that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were 4.9 times higher than official figures, increased from three and a half times in 2021.

“Actual emissions are rising, while lab-reported emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher participating in the report. “That discrepancy is widening and creates a significant problem. Consequently, PHEVs emit nearly as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Reasons Behind the Emissions Gap

Analysts linked the majority of the difference to inflated estimates of the “electric driving share” – the percentage of kilometers driven in electric power relative to overall mileage. The team found that just a quarter of driving was done in EV mode, while official estimates assumed over four-fifths.

Even, when running in electric mode, pollution amounts were significantly higher than lab estimates. That happened because EV motors were insufficiently powerful enough to function independently, leading to combustion motors using gasoline for nearly one-third of the distance completed in EV mode.

Policy and Financial Consequences

According to calculations, the lowballing of PHEV emissions allowed several large carmaker groups to escape more than €5bn in fines between 2021 and 2023, by artificially easing compliance with EU fleet-average CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs could pay about €500 more per year in running expenses than would be estimated under lab conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are clearly far from the truth,” stated a transport expert. “Buyers are being misled into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and saving money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly improved than regular gas and diesel vehicles in terms of fuel use, CO₂ production, and running costs.”

Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid cars have lately been drawn back into political discussions as carmakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A planned ban on sales of new internal combustion cars in 2035 has faced heavy pressure from the car industry and opposition from member states with large automotive manufacturing.

Several senior politicians have suggested PHEVs as a possible “compromise” solution to introduce in the regulation.

An independent energy economics specialist, who was unaffiliated with the research, described the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after years in which segments of the automotive industry claimed there was too little data to properly assess real-world emissions.

“The results show, without question, that the gap in lab and real-world PHEV energy use and CO₂ output is much, much greater than for petrol or conventional vehicles,” they stated. “All regulatory adjustments concerning PHEVs should be made with extreme care and in the light of this data.”