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In a European analysis of vehicles registered in 2023, plug-in hybrids averaged 135 g of CO₂ per kilometre in real-world use, compared with 166 g/km for petrol and diesel cars. That is close, but not equal: Transport & Environment (T&E) described the PHEV average as 19% lower. The result is an average from a specific monitored dataset, not a claim about every PHEV or driver.
What the study measured
T&E’s October 2025 report, Smoke screen: the growing PHEV emissions scandal, analyzed European Environment Agency (EEA) on-board fuel-consumption monitoring data for 127,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) registered in 2023. In that cohort, T&E reported average real-world emissions of 135 g CO₂/km for PHEVs and 166 g CO₂/km for petrol and diesel cars. T&E characterized the PHEV figure as 19% lower on average. T&E’s report and analysis.
The comparison concerns tailpipe CO₂ per kilometre in the analyzed European dataset. It does not establish that every PHEV emits nearly as much as every petrol car, nor does it compare all environmental impacts. Vehicle cohort, driving, and charging behavior shape the result.
Why real-world PHEV emissions exceed official figures
Official WLTP figures estimate emissions using a utility factor (UF), which represents the assumed share of driving in charge-depleting mode. A PHEV can use its battery to reduce fuel consumption, but the benefit reflected in a test depends on how much electric driving the calculation assumes. Drivers who charge infrequently or drive in ways that use the engine more can see a larger gap between real-world use and the official value.
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For the 2023 vehicles in its analysis, T&E reported real-world emissions nearly five times their WLTP values. It reported a smaller gap—about 3.5 times—for vehicles registered in 2021. T&E also found that 2023-cohort real-world emissions were 5% higher than for the 2021 cohort, despite a 25% increase in average electric range. These are T&E’s comparisons of EEA monitoring data, not a guarantee about any individual model. T&E’s cohort analysis.
A separate European Commission communication reported average real-world PHEV emissions of 139.4 g CO₂/km against laboratory values of 39.6 g/km, or 3.5 times, for the dataset it discussed. Those figures come from a different reporting context and period than T&E’s later 2023-cohort analysis; they should not be treated as measurements of the same fleet. European Commission communication.
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Why “electric mode” can still produce CO₂
Charge-depleting mode means the vehicle is drawing down its battery charge; it does not necessarily mean the engine stays off or that the car runs purely on electricity. T&E reported that PHEVs in its analysis averaged 68 g CO₂/km in charge-depleting mode. It also found that the combustion engine supplied power during almost one-third of the distance driven in that mode, for example by assisting the electric motor. These are dataset averages, not fixed emissions rates for every PHEV. T&E’s analysis of charge-depleting operation.
T&E’s mode estimates underline the distinction: its analysis put 41% of distance in charge-depleting mode, 27% in pure electric driving, and the energy-based utility factor at 31%. Charge-depleting distance is therefore not interchangeable with pure-electric distance. The figures describe the monitored vehicles and method used in the report, rather than a universal pattern for PHEV owners. T&E’s analysis of electric driving and utility factor.
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Does a longer electric range guarantee lower emissions?
No simple rule follows from the range figures in T&E’s dataset. The report found that vehicles with more than 75 km of electric range averaged higher real-world emissions than those in its 45–75 km group. It also associated real-world emissions more strongly with vehicle mass and engine power than with range alone. That is a comparison within the analyzed fleet, not evidence that adding range itself causes emissions to rise. T&E’s comparison of range and vehicle characteristics.
For a particular PHEV, range is only one part of the picture. How often it is charged, how much of a driver’s journey can be covered electrically, and the vehicle’s weight and power all affect fuel use in practice.
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How to interpret the headline
- “Almost as much” means close on average, not identical. T&E’s reported European averages were 135 g CO₂/km for PHEVs and 166 g/km for petrol and diesel cars.
- The test-to-road gap is substantial in T&E’s analysis. Its 2023 cohort averaged nearly five times its WLTP emissions, but that ratio should not be applied to every model.
- Electric-mode labels need care. Charge-depleting operation can include engine assistance and is not the same as pure-electric driving.
- Charging and driving matter. Official figures rely on assumptions about electric operation; real outcomes depend on how a vehicle is used and charged.
T&E cars director Lucien Mathieu called PHEVs “one of the biggest cons in automotive history” and said they emit almost as much as petrol cars. That is an advocacy statement from a representative of the organization behind the analysis, not neutral scientific terminology. The measured averages and their limits are the more useful basis for understanding the claim.
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