Are electric cars better for the environment?
The carbon footprint of EVs in 2026
A carbon footprint
that’s forever
shrinking
The most obvious benefit of all-electric cars is that they produce zero exhaust particulates and CO2 when driving. Not only that, but they also have a better carbon footprint over their lifetime than combustion vehicles.
Do electric cars have a lower
carbon footprint than petrol cars?
All-electric cars don’t emit greenhouse gases that are harmful to the climate when driving. This means that in the short and long term, they help combat climate change and improve the air quality of life in towns and cities. For many drivers, this is the best reason for switching to an electric car. But CO2-free driving is just one side of the coin.
Even before a combustion or electric vehicle hits the road, waste materials and greenhouse gases are generated during production, logistics, usage and disposal.
However, the good news is that if you look at the entire lifetime of a vehicle, electric cars still have a better carbon footprint than petrol cars. This is demonstrated by recent studies on electric mobility, including a study conducted by the Eindhoven University of Technology in 2020. The study compares the life-long greenhouse gas emissions of electric cars and vehicles with petrol or diesel engines. This study confirms that electric vehicles have the potential to solve the problem of CO2 emissions from road traffic. The IFEU (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg) reached a similar conclusion in a 2019 study for the Agora Verkehrswende transport consultancy, and again in a more recent 2024 life-cycle analysis commissioned by Germany's Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). This most recent study found that a 2020 compact electric vehicle emits 41% less CO2 per kilometre than a comparable petrol car.
What is the carbon footprint of an electric car over its lifetime?
The exact carbon footprint of an electric car over its lifetime depends on the size of the battery and how much it’s driven.
In various studies, calculations assume that almost half the CO2 emissions of the entire lifecycle of an electric vehicle are generated by the expensive extraction of raw materials for batteries and during battery production. This means an EV with a smaller battery has a smaller initial carbon footprint.
Based on calculations carried out and published by the Federal Environment Agency in 2024, a battery-electric car emits 41% fewer CO2 emissions per kilometre than a comparable petrol car. Since EVs don’t produce any exhaust, their carbon footprint continues to improve the more you drive. Plus, you can reduce the carbon footprint even further by charging with green energy.
End-of-life and recycling
Today, high-voltage batteries are already being reused for energy storage and recycled for their raw materials, like cobalt, nickel, copper and lithium. This allows us to produce batteries in a more climate-neutral and sustainable manner. You can learn more about the disposal of batteries, or use our Online Configurator to build your ideal Volkswagen.
What materials are in EV batteries?
EVs use lithium-ion batteries which are made with graphite, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese. They also use structural metals like copper, aluminium and steel.
Lithium, cobalt, nickel and the responsible-sourcing question
Ensuring that the Volkswagen Group’s supply chain minimises and avoids all human rights, social and environmental risks is our top priority.
To do this, we have implemented the Responsible Supply Chain System (ReSC), which analyses risk and implements proactive and reactive measures to ensure sustainability within our supply chain. The Volkswagen Group is also a member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), which aims to develop and establish rigorous standards for the responsible extraction of raw materials in mining. The Volkswagen Group is also a member of the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA). which aims to develop and establish rigorous standards for the responsible extraction of raw materials in mining. Another way that we are ensuring the responsible and sustainable sourcing of raw materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel, is recycling. By recycling old batteries we’re able to recover up to 95% of raw materials and use them to manufacture new batteries. For more information on the responsible sourcing of materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel, you can download the 2025 Responsible Raw Materials Report.
How OEMs are reducing or replacing critical minerals
Currently Volkswagen is reducing and replacing critical minerals through the recycling of old batteries, and the development of new battery chemistries like sodium-ion and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP).
The shift to LFP and sodium-ion chemistries
Both LFP and sodium-ion battery chemistries bypass the expensive metals that traditional Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) batteries require. These new battery chemistries result in a much lower production cost, better thermal safety, and improved supply chain resilience.
LFP is quickly becoming the default chemistry for cost-effective EVs because they avoid expensive and geopolitically sensitive metals like nickel and cobalt. Made with lithium, iron phosphate and graphite, LFP batteries are extremely stable, and offer exceptionally long lifespans. While they struggle to maintain their efficiency at freezing temperatures, they are often lighter than traditional NMC batteries.
Sodium ion batteries eliminate the need for lithium and rely on materials like sodium aluminium and carbon. By relying on one of the most widely abundant materials on Earth, sodium ion batteries are considered to be the next generation of ultra cheap EV batteries. Sodium ion batteries are lighter than LFP and NMC batteries and perform much better in cold temperatures, maintaining 90% of their capacity in temperatures as low as -40oC.
Air quality: how EVs affect UK cities
The elimination of tailpipe emissions with Electric vehicles has drastically reduced Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) levels in densely populated areas. While electric vehicles have had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the air quality of cities in the UK, their heavier weight and tyres still produce non-exhaust emissions from road and brake wear.
Tailpipe NOx and particulate emissions
When petrol and diesel engines burn fossil fuels, the combustion releases toxic NOx gasses and fine solid particulate matter like soot. Since EVs produce no exhaust emission, they help to reduce the overall NOx levels and particulate emissions.
Brake and tyre particulates
While EVs eliminate exhaust emissions, all vehicles, including EVs, produce particulate matter from brake pads, tyres and road surface degradation. Due to their batteries, electric vehicles are normally heavier than vehicles with an internal combustion engine (ICE). This can increase the tyre wear and leads to greater volumes of tyre microplastics, and particulate matter. But the use of regenerative braking significantly lowers brake-related particulate emissions.
Impact on ULEZ and Clean Air Zones
The shift to EVs has worked in tandem with London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and other Clean Air Zones (CAZs) in UK. Across London, these combined efforts have reduced roadside NO₂ levels by 27%, and as much as 54% in central London. Measurable improvements are also being reported in other cities like Birmingham. By eliminating tailpipe pollution, EVs are making a significant impact on local air quality in densely populated areas.
Common myths about the EV carbon footprint
“EVs are dirtier than petrol cars because of the battery”
The more you drive, the cleaner it gets.
While the manufacturing process for an electric vehicle produces more carbon than it does for a petrol car, almost half of the lifetime emissions are generated by the extraction of raw materials, and battery production. That initial emissions debt is offset within 2 years of driving and over their lifetime, EVs are far cleaner even when accounting for power plant emissions from charging.
“The UK grid is too dirty for EVs to help”
Over half of energy in the UK is renewable
This is a common misconception, over 50% of the UK’s power grid is already supplied by renewable sources, and it continues to get cleaner every year. Just like the UK power grid, EVs continue to get cleaner every year. With no tailpipe emissions, they contribute three times less CO2 over their lifetime compared to petrol cars.
“EV batteries can’t be recycled”
EV batteries are already being recycled and reused
EV batteries can and already are being recycled or repurposed. If the battery still has 70 to 80% capacity, it’s repurposed for stationary energy storage. Otherwise, old batteries are shredded, and 90 to 95% of the raw materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper are recovered. These incredibly valuable materials can be reused in the manufacturing of new batteries.
Frequently asked questions about the carbon footprint of electric vehicles
How much CO2 does an electric car save per year?
Is an EV greener than a hybrid?
Are second-hand EVs greener than a new petrol car?
Does charging at home on solar make an EV zero-emission?
