What do we see?
After a steady improvement in the environmental performance of new cars on the Flemish market, we see an acceleration from 2020 onwards. Average CO2 emissions decreased by 10% per year and even by almost 20% in 2023, to a value of 73.9 g CO2 -eq./km. At the same time, the average Ecoscore increased by about 1.5 units and by 2.6 units in 2023. These improvements can be explained by the ever-increasing share of vehicles powered by alternative fuels (electric, CNG, LPG or biofuels), which now account for 49% of the market share.
What’s the aim?
In a circular economy, we want the environmental impact of production and use of products to be minimal. For passenger cars, the use phase is especially impactful. Through the introduction of new passenger cars, new technologies find their way into the Flemish vehicle fleet. The recent and accelerating electrification of the car fleet implies a reduction in the direct consumption of petrol and diesel with corresponding improvements in environmental performance. However, both the compositions of new cars and the material stories behind the technologies need to be taken into account for a circular consideration; these will continue to evolve as a result of the advancing renewable energy transition.
What does this indicator measure?
The calculation of the Ecoscore of a vehicle follows a life-cycle approach: both direct and indirect emissions are taken into account, in terms of climate change, air quality and noise. CO2 emissions during the use phase weigh most heavily in the Ecoscore. The data for this indicator come from Ecoscore, which is managed by VITO. The basic data come from the FPS Mobility and Transport.
