A new standard for vehicle emissions has been launched that aims to give drivers a better idea of which vehicles release less harmful toxins in urban driving.
The AIR index uses an A-E rating system to show which vehicles emit less Nitrogen Dioxide (NOx) in city and town driving conditions.
Each model’s results are compiled by taking at least two independently-sourced vehicles being taken through three separate tests, which includes five 10km journeys with a Portable Emissions Measurement System attached to the rear end to collect emission data.
The launch of this index has been done to give drivers and policy makers a better idea of the vehicles that release less harmful chemicals into the air, which would in turn help clean up the air pedestrians breathe in densely-populated areas.
Massimo Fedeli, AIR co-founder and operations director, said: “The AIR Index is a game changer. It gives easy to understand, at-a-glance information on actual vehicle emissions in towns and cities.
“It compiles the results of the most independent, consistent and thorough tests ever carried out. It provides car buyers with the answers they need to make the right purchasing choices, it makes the industry accountable to produce cleaner cars and gives cities and policy makers the accurate data to create fair policies.”
At the launch of the index, AIR released results for six vehicles that have already gone through the test programme – with the Land Rover Discovery 3.0-litre diesel coming out on top with an A rating, meaning it complies with the 80mg/km NOx limit.
|
Make |
Model |
Year |
AIR Index Rating |
Fuel Type |
Official NOx limit |
Euro Standard |
| Land Rover | Discovery 3.0 TD6 | 2018 | A | Diesel | 80 mg/km | Euro 6 |
| Nissan | Qashqai 1.2 DiG-T | 2017 | B | Petrol | 60 mg/km | Euro 6 |
| MINI | Cooper S 3dr 2.0 d | 2015 | C | Diesel | 80 mg/km | Euro 6 |
| Dacia | Duster 1.5 DCI | 2018 | D | Diesel | 80 mg/km | Euro 6 |
| Ford | Focus 1.5 TDCI | 2017 | D | Diesel | 80 mg/km | Euro 6 |
| Renault | Clio 1.5 DCI | 2017 | E | Diesel | 80 mg/km | Euro 6 |
Nick Molden, AIR co-founder, said: “In our testing, we have found a number of the newest Euro 6 cars still emit significantly more NOx on the road than in the laboratory test used for their type approval.
“Our tests also reveal some diesel cars cleaner than petrol ones and some older cars are cleaner than newer ones. Change is already underway for new diesel cars and we believe the AIR Index can accelerate that change with car makers and policy makers aligned to changing our cities’ air quality – for the better.”
