Five Years of EcoTest

Publication date: 29 September 2008

EcoTest is a test developed jointly by German automobile club ADAC together with the FIA Foundation. In use since 2003, EcoTest rates vehicles of various classes and sizes in order to give consumers key information when buying cars. The cars tested are popular models and those intended to be environmentally friendly. By testing over 100 cars every year, EcoTest also gives car manufacturers an independent rating according to environmental performance of their products.

The EcoTest is based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) that sets down standards required for type approval in the EU. EcoTest, however, goes beyond the European Union’s requirements by testing for performance in a range of different conditions including under the ADAC Motorway Cycle (AMC). The AMC tests the behaviour of vehicles on a motorway with the air conditioning switched on. Additionally, EcoTest rates pollutant emissions such as carbon monoxide CO, hydrocarbons HC, nitrogen oxides NOx, and particulate matter as well as the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2). Currently, the EcoTest is the only test on vehicles available for sale on the European market that covers both pollutants and CO2 emissions.

EcoTest August 2008
The latest EcoTest report showed car manufacturers as making uneven progress in reducing CO2 emissions and exhaust pollutants in their latest models. Whilst some manufacturers have made impressive jumps forward with more environmentally friendly cars, others are still making high emissions models. The Mazda 6 2.0 Estate Sport Diesel entered the top ten of best performers with 81 points, and four out of five stars, thanks to its relatively low levels of CO2 and pollutant emissions. This is eight points behind the best ever performer - the Toyota Prius with 89 EcoTest points.

No car – not even the top performer Toyota Prius - has yet been awarded a maximum of five stars. This shows how much room there is for improvement as five star ratings require cars to achieve over 90 points for both CO2 and pollutant emissions levels. Worst performers were the BMW M3 Cabriolet with zero points for CO2 emissions performance. This corresponds to an emissions level of over 294.6 grams of CO2 per km. Also tested over the summer, the BMW M3 Coupé scored just one point on CO2 emissions. The fact that the Cabriolet and Coupé had better scores for reducing other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide (45 and 48 points respectively) indicates how difficult it is for manufacturers to lower both pollutants and CO2.
Sheila Watson, FIA Foundation Director of Environment, stresses that the car industry now needs to reach the next level. “This is a tough challenge, but the best performers are those that tackle both CO2 emissions and exhaust pollutants at the same time,” said Watson. “That is the standard which all manufacturers must aim for across all of their models.”

For more information contact
Wilfried Klanner, FIA European Bureau