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PHEVs emit almost 5x greater planet-heating pollution than lab-reported data indicate, according to a recent analysis.

Growing Gap Between Official and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release only one-fifth lower CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel vehicles, according to analysis conducted by a non-profit organization. That contrasts significantly with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Researchers examined information from onboard fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand cars sold in Europe between 2021 and 2023. The team found that actual CO₂ output from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times higher than lab estimates, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world CO2 output are rising, while lab-reported figures are falling,” stated a senior researcher participating in the report. “This gap is widening and poses a significant problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute almost as heavily as petrol cars.”

Primary Factors Driving the Discrepancy

Analysts linked the majority of the gap to overestimates of the “electric driving share” – the ratio of miles driven in battery power compared to total distance. They determined that just a quarter of travel was done in EV mode, whereas official estimates suggested over four-fifths.

Even, when operating in electric mode, pollution amounts were well above lab projections. That occurred because EV motors were insufficiently powerful sufficient to operate alone, resulting to combustion motors using fossil fuels for nearly a third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Regulatory and Economic Consequences

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

Furthermore, drivers of PHEVs would spend approximately €500 more annually in operating costs than is assumed under laboratory tests.

“The bold claims that automakers often promote about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” stated a automotive expert. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by buying a PHEV, they are benefiting the environment and cutting costs. In reality, PHEVs are only slightly improved than standard petrol and diesel cars in terms of fuel consumption, CO₂ production, and running expenses.”

Policy Debate and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid cars have recently been brought again into policy discussions as automakers have lobbied the European Union to relax CO₂ targets. A proposed ban on new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced heavy lobbying from the automotive industry and opposition from member states with significant car manufacturing.

Several high-level politicians have suggested PHEVs as a possible “flexibility” solution to introduce in the legislation.

An external energy policy expert, who was not involved with the study, called the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which segments of the automotive industry argued there was insufficient information to accurately assess actual emissions.

“These findings show, beyond any doubt, that the difference in lab and real-world PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions is much, much greater than for gasoline or conventional cars,” they stated. “All policy changes regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost care and considering this evidence.”