For several years, state authorities have been monitoring air pollution, in particular CO2 emissions from the automotive industry. And this is even if the latter is far from being the most harmful for the environment at the moment. It is for this purpose that the European standard was created, which sets the limitsemissions of polluting discharges new vehicles. The latest is Euro 6, while the Euro 7 standard will come into effect next year and will be even stricter than the one that exists today for thermal models.

WARNING! Since 2015 and the appearance of Crit’Air stickers, traffic restrictions apply to some vehicles in large cities. Shall we summarize together? 🚙 #MyProjectMoreResponsible

— La Banque Postale (@LaBanquePostale) August 30, 2022

Do not throw away

Over time, the criteria become stricter, the thresholds are lower and lower. Logically, Euro 4 compliant cars will pollute the environment much more than Euro 6 models. But according to a recent study by the University of Milan and Unipol, this is not necessarily the absolute truth, in fact the opposite. And for good reason, according to the version of the investigation with the participation of 3 000 cars registered in Italy, emissions depend primarily on how vehicles are used, and especially on mileage. But in general, old cars do not necessarily pollute more, on the contrary.

Less emissions

Indeed, according to the results of the study, 26% of the observed Euro 4 cars have lower actual CO2 emissions to equivalent Euro 6 cars. Furthermore, a “high emission” car that meets the current standard emits six times more than a “low emission” Euro 4 car. This can be as much as ten times more in city driving , which makes a big difference. But again, it also depends on the model and driving style, among other things.

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