Petrol, diesel, electric car: which is more climate-friendly?

Study shows: electric cars emit less than half the CO2 of petrol and diesel cars on average

19.02.2025

Source: BMWK

A comprehensive life cycle assessment shows that electric cars are significantly more climate-friendly than conventional petrol or diesel vehicles over their entire service life. On average, their CO2 emissions are less than half those of comparable conventional vehicles.

Holistic view of the life cycle

Life cycle assessments cover all aspects: from production - including the energy-intensive battery production for electric cars - through to disposal. While petrol and diesel cars cause around 80 percent of their CO2 emissions during vehicle operation, the majority of e-cars are produced during manufacturing. Nevertheless, they quickly amortize this "CO2 rucksack" through low-emission operation, even taking into account the German electricity mix.

Energy transition increases climate advantageAs the energy transition progresses, the climate advantage of e-cars will continue to grow. Improvements in battery production, recycling requirements and an increasingly clean electricity mix will help to further reduce the ecological footprint of electric vehicles.