For the first time, cars are being rated not just by tailpipe emissions but across their entire lifespan, from raw materials to recycling, through Green NCAP’s new Sustainability Ratings.
The anti-EV lobby often challenge the green credentials of electric vehicles in the belief that their total environmental impact is worse than that of their ICE counterparts.
This idea is so ingrained that it was debunked very early on in FairCharge’s Little Book of EV myths, which stated that lifetime CO2 emissions from and EV are 68% less than an ICE car.
However, until now there has never been a way for the general public to see the true environmental impact of their own car or compare those of a variety of vehicles when considering a purchase.
Thanks to a brand new sustainability rating system introduced by Green NCAP, that is now possible.
For the first time, vehicles are being judged not just on tailpipe emissions or driving efficiency, but on their full environmental footprint – from the mining of raw materials and manufacturing, through years on the road, to eventual recycling.
This cradle-to-grave approach, known as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), is at the heart of Green NCAP’s new Sustainability Ratings.
The independent testing body, a sister initiative of Euro NCAP which has rated car safety since 1997, says the new ratings mark a world first. They give drivers a holistic picture of how cars affect the planet, enabling comparisons across petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric models.
Dr. Aleksandar Damyanov, Technical Manager Green NCAP said: ‘In much the same way that Euro NCAP has empowered consumers and transformed the safety of our cars for the better, we believe that Green NCAP can be both a helpful resource and a platform for driving sustainability improvements across the automotive industry.’
To demonstrate the system, Green NCAP tested 12 popular cars. The top performers were the all-electric MINI Cooper E (pictured) and FIAT 600e, both awarded five stars and scoring 97% and 96% respectively.
Their relatively small batteries and lighter weight helped reduce emissions during production and boosted efficiency on the road. On mixed routes, the MINI used 15 kWh/100 km while the FIAT consumed 15.5 kWh/100 km.
Running close behind was Citroen’s e-C3, which also achieved a five-star rating with 91%. At the other end of the scale, large SUVs fared less well: Kia’s seven-seat EV9 scored just three stars (56%), while the diesel-powered Mazda CX-80 managed only two stars (34%). Both were penalised for their sheer weight and the associated emissions from production, use and end-of-life disposal.
Green NCAP’s engineers highlight the hidden impact of weight. While electric vehicles are often marketed as greener alternatives, larger models with oversized batteries may cancel out gains in zero tailpipe emissions by consuming more energy in production and generating higher tyre and brake wear.
By contrast, smaller EVs like Volvo’s EX30, which scored 89% and 4.5 stars, demonstrate how compact design can make a meaningful difference.
The ratings also incorporate a Driving Experience assessment, which examines how cars perform in real-world conditions such as efficiency in cold weather, charging capability and range across different road types. For example, while the MINI Cooper E and FIAT 600e excelled in efficiency, their modest battery sizes limited range, especially in winter, with estimated cold-weather ranges of 184 km and 225 km respectively.
Life Cycle Assessment is key to the new system. It considers emissions from raw material extraction, production, battery manufacture, distribution, the energy used to power vehicles during their lifetime (assumed at 16 years and 240,000 km), as well as maintenance and end-of-life disposal.
Consumers can also use Green NCAP’s interactive tool to model results for their own country’s energy mix.
As part of its support to the Green NCAP Sustainability Rating, Ricardo provided electricity data and, as a leader in vehicle life cycle assessment, reviewed and provided feedback on the updated methodology.
Nikolas Hill, Ricardo Head of Vehicle Technologies and Fuels and leading vehicle LCA expert said: ‘By looking more broadly at the environmental impacts of vehicles on a life-cycle basis, manufacturers and new vehicle customers can develop a more complete and holistic understanding of these impacts, to inform their decisions accordingly.
‘Life-cycle assessment is a powerful tool for helping manufacturers and consumers understand how products impact the environment and society, factoring in the full product lifecycle, including impacts across the value chain. This can help support the development of products with improved sustainability credentials.’
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