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23/03/2009
For many people it is greener to keep an existing car rather than trade up to a new model, an environmental group has stressed.
And while the environment may benefit from high-mileage drivers who upgrade to a new model, motorists who cover less ground may save money by holding onto their car for as long as it is reliable.
In recent weeks, the car industry has made repeated calls for a taxpayer-funded scrappage scheme, arguing that it would result in the exchange of older, more polluting cars with efficient modern ones. However, the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) says that a new car's true CO2 emissions include those from its design, manufacture and disposal.
The ETA points to a 2006 study conducted by the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland, which concluded that "the total energy consumption of car use is on average 54.7% higher than the tank-to-wheel energy consumption alone".
Using this figure, it estimates that the average European car has lifetime CO2 emissions of 31 tonnes, with design, manufacturing, scrapping and maintenance contributing a further 17 tonnes.
The ETA added that drivers who buy a new car and trade it in at three years old can lose 50% of their money to depreciation.
But a spokesperson said: "Swapping a thirsty and polluting older car for a lighter, more fuel-efficient model can make environmental sense if you are doing a high mileage."
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