Australia’s peak motoring organisation, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) welcomes the joint initiative by the Mayors of London and Paris to provide car buyers better information with which to make environmentally responsible choices.  The AAA again calls on the Australian Government to acknowledge the existing Australian regulatory system which relies solely on laboratory testing is providing consumers with potentially misleading information, and failing to accurately represent the economic and environmental impacts of driving in the real world.

London and Paris’ initiative as announced will provide consumers with emissions testing results based on real-world driving conditions, with testing to be conducted by Emissions Analytics and the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT).  Similar on-road vehicle emissions testing has been undertaken by the AAA on behalf of its member clubs over the past twelve months, and the most recent results – released in March – showed variations of up to 60% on CO2 and fuel consumption, and up to eight times the allowable limit for noxious gases from the seventeen vehicles tested.

AAA Chief Executive Michael Bradley said: “We have long been saying the Australian Government needs to introduce real-world testing for vehicle emissions, because we know cars are driven in the real world, not in a laboratory.  The Mayors of London and Paris have just taken a step the Australian Government has so far been unprepared to do: putting reliable information in the hands of consumers, so they can make more informed choices.

“Australian motorists understand and accept their responsibility to reduce harmful emissions, but without accurate measurement of tailpipe emissions in the real world consumers don’t have the power to make an informed decision.”

“The time has come to now follow the lead of London and Paris and implement a real-world emissions testing program in Australia.  The AAA stands willing to assist the Government to assist in the introduction of what we see as a critical consumer and environmental initiative,” Mr Bradley said.

The AAA’s on-road vehicle emissions testing program was established in 2016 and has so far tested seventeen of a total of thirty vehicles.  Interim results released on 27 March this year showed all but one of the vehicles tested have exceeded the published fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, with the highest variance being sixty percent.

More information about the AAA’s emissions testing program can be found at: www.aaa.asn.au/reports

More information about the Mayors of London and Paris’ announcement can be found at: https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-unveils-polluting-vehicle-checker-scheme