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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles produce almost 5x greater global warming emissions than official data indicate, according to a new report.

Growing Discrepancy In Lab and Actual Emissions

Statistics reveals that PHEVs release just one-fifth less CO₂ than conventional petrol and diesel cars, according to analysis carried out by a advocacy group. This differs sharply with lab estimates, which assumed a 75% reduction in emissions.

Researchers examined information from in-vehicle fuel consumption meters of eight hundred thousand vehicles sold in Europe from 2021 and 2023. They found that real-world CO₂ emissions from PHEVs in 2023 were nearly five times greater than official figures, up from 3.5 times in 2021.

“Real-world emissions are increasing, while official emissions are decreasing,” stated a lead researcher participating in the report. “That gap is widening and creates a serious problem. As a result, PHEVs pollute nearly as heavily as petrol vehicles.”

Primary Factors Behind the Discrepancy

Researchers linked the majority of the difference to inflated estimates of the “utility factor” – the percentage of kilometers driven in battery mode compared to overall mileage. The team determined that only 27% of travel was done in EV mode, whereas official estimates suggested 84%.

Even, when operating in EV mode, emission amounts were well above official projections. This happened because EV motors were not strong sufficient to function alone, resulting to engines burning gasoline for almost one-third of the travel completed in EV mode.

Policy and Economic Consequences

According to estimates, the underestimation of PHEV emissions enabled four major carmaker groups to escape over €5bn in penalties between 2021 and 2023, by falsely easing adherence with EU average fleet CO₂ standards.

Furthermore, owners of PHEVs would pay about €500 more annually in running costs than is estimated under laboratory conditions.

“The bold claims that manufacturers like to make about their plug-in hybrid vehicles are obviously far from the truth,” commented a automotive analyst. “Consumers are being duped into believing that by purchasing a PHEV, they are helping the planet and cutting money. Actually, PHEVs are only slightly better than standard gas and diesel cars in terms of energy use, CO₂ emissions, and running expenses.”

Political Debate and Automotive Lobbying

Hybrid vehicles have lately been brought again into political debates as automakers have pressed the European Union to relax CO₂ standards. A proposed prohibition on sales of new combustion engine vehicles in 2035 has faced intense lobbying from the automotive industry and opposition from member states with large car industries.

Some high-level politicians have suggested plug-in hybrids as a potential “flexibility” option to include in the regulation.

An independent energy economics expert, who was not involved with the research, described the analysis a “highly valuable addition” after a long period in which parts of the automotive sector claimed there was too little data to accurately assess real-world CO2 output.

“The results demonstrate, beyond any doubt, that the difference in official and actual PHEV fuel consumption and CO₂ output is significantly greater than for petrol or conventional cars,” they stated. “Any regulatory adjustments regarding PHEVs should be made with utmost care and in the light of this data.”