The figures were released following theintroduction of the new CO2 emissions based assessment system forVehicle Registration Tax (VRT) and annual road tax which came intoeffect on all new cars purchased from Tuesday, 1st July 2008.

To further inform consumers on thepotential cost and CO2 emissions savings from their car purchasedecision, SEI is directing consumers to their car rating websitewww.sei.ie/howcleanisyourcar where similar comparison figures areavailable.

The new energy label uses bands toindicate a car’s energy performance where band ‘A’ signifiesthe lowest CO2 emitting cars which will attract reduced VRT and roadtax rates with band ‘G’ indicating the highest CO2 emitting carswhich will be liable for higher VRT and road tax rates. SEI’swebsite provides these indications for all cars listed.

On average, new cars purchased in 2007emitted 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per annum and cost the consumer €1,626 infuel at today’s prices. The “average” car in 2007 had a ratingof 164g CO2/km and would be classified as ’D’ under the newlabelling scheme attracting annual road tax of €430.

From 1st July 2008, by purchasing an‘A’ rated car, rather than the “average” car, consumers canmake annual CO2 savings of between 0.85 and 1.1 tonnes depending onfuel type. The ‘A’ labeled car will also cost only €100 a yearfor road tax.

SEI’s analysis of new private carspurchased in 2007 shows that 65% of CO2 emissions from new cars werefrom those that would fall into label categories ‘D’ to ‘G’(i.e. greater than 156g CO2/km). Conversely, less than 1% of carspurchased in 2007 fell into the ‘A’ label category or lowestemitting vehicles (i.e. less than 120g CO2/km).

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