Does an electric car actually emit less than a petrol car?
Use-phase only: fuel burned or electricity consumed. Manufacturing is higher for an EV, which is why the lifetime break-even matters — see the takeaways.
Compared on: 1,000 km driven, per vehicle (use phase)
Petrol car (average)
168 kg CO₂eUK average petrol car, ~0.168 kg CO₂e per km including well-to-tank.
Source: DEFRA/DESNZ UK conversion factors — average petrol car
Diesel car (average)
164 kg CO₂eUK average diesel car including well-to-tank.
Source: DEFRA/DESNZ UK conversion factors — average diesel car
Electric car on the UK grid
44 kg CO₂e~0.19 kWh/km at a UK grid intensity of ~0.21 kg CO₂e/kWh, plus transmission losses.
Source: DEFRA/DESNZ grid electricity factors + typical EV consumption
Electric car on the French grid
12 kg CO₂eSame car, mostly nuclear and hydro electricity (~0.06 kg CO₂e/kWh).
Source: ADEME Base Empreinte — French electricity mix
What this means
- On any European grid the EV wins the use phase by a wide margin.
- Battery manufacturing adds roughly 5–8 t CO₂e up front, typically paid back within 20,000–40,000 km.
- The dirtier the grid, the longer the payback — but grids keep getting cleaner over a car's life.
Your own number, not an average
Averages answer the question; your own footprint tells you what to change first. The calculator takes about two minutes and needs no account.
Figures are averages drawn from public databases and peer-reviewed LCA work; see our methodology for how each factor is applied.