Real Emission Factors
Uses DEFRA / EPA-standard CO₂ factors per litre and kWh for trustworthy results.
Discover exactly how much CO2 your vehicle produces. Real-time, accurate emissions calculations for petrol, diesel, hybrid, LPG, CNG and electric cars — with practical tips to reduce your impact.
Fill in your driving details below for an instant, accurate carbon footprint calculation based on real-world emission factors.
Based on the details you entered, here is your vehicle's estimated CO2 output and impact breakdown.
— per passenger
Your car's emissions versus typical alternatives (kg CO₂ per year, same distance).
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Designed for accuracy, speed and a genuinely useful carbon footprint breakdown.
Uses DEFRA / EPA-standard CO₂ factors per litre and kWh for trustworthy results.
Results appear in milliseconds, fully client-side — no waiting, no server round-trips.
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Switch between km / miles, L/100km / MPG and multiple currencies on the fly.
Get your car's CO₂ footprint in four simple steps.
Choose petrol, diesel, hybrid, LPG, CNG or electric. Average efficiency is auto-filled.
Provide your annual mileage or a one-off trip distance in km or miles.
Fine-tune efficiency, passenger count, driving style and fuel price to match reality.
See total CO₂, per-km, per-passenger, tree offset, cost, comparison chart and tips.
Understanding the carbon footprint for CAR emissions is essential in today's climate-conscious world. Every time you drive, your vehicle burns fuel and releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. The carbon footprint of car travel is one of the largest individual contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in most developed countries. But what exactly is CO2 for CAR travel, and how can you measure it?
Put simply, the carbon footprint car figure is the total amount of CO₂ (and equivalent gases) produced by that vehicle over a given distance or time period. For petrol cars, every litre of fuel burned produces approximately 2.31 kg of CO₂. Diesel cars are slightly higher at 2.68 kg per litre. This means a typical family car doing 15,000 km a year could produce between 2 to 4 tonnes of CO₂ annually — a significant portion of an individual's carbon footprint.
How to calculate your carbon emission car output? You need three key pieces of information: your vehicle's fuel type, its fuel efficiency (litres per 100 km or miles per gallon), and the total distance you drive. Multiplying these together gives you total fuel consumed, which you then multiply by the appropriate emission factor. For example, a petrol car that does 8 L/100km over 15,000 km per year uses 1,200 litres of fuel, generating around 2,772 kg (or 2.77 tonnes) of CO₂. That's roughly the same weight as a small hippopotamus — released into the sky every single year from one car.
Electric vehicles (EVs) produce zero tailpipe emissions, but their carbon footprint isn't zero — electricity generation still emits CO₂. A typical EV charged on average grid electricity produces about 0.45 kg CO₂ per kWh, so a car using 18 kWh/100km over 15,000 km generates around 1,215 kg of CO₂ — roughly half that of an equivalent petrol car. Hybrid vehicles sit between the two, with petrol-electric hybrids typically consuming around 4.5 L/100km and producing about 1,559 kg CO₂ annually for the same distance.
Understanding your carbon footprint car figure is the first step towards reducing it. Simple changes like driving more efficiently, maintaining correct tyre pressure, removing excess weight, and combining trips can cut emissions by 10–20%. Switching to public transport, cycling, or car-sharing for some journeys can make an even bigger impact. Many drivers are surprised to learn that offsetting their car's annual emissions would require planting around 130 trees — a powerful illustration of just how much CO₂ a single vehicle produces. Per-passenger emissions also drop dramatically when you carpool: four people sharing a petrol car cut their individual footprints by 75% compared to driving solo.
Whether you're an individual looking to reduce your environmental impact, a business tracking fleet emissions, or simply curious about your carbon footprint, our free CO2 for CAR calculator gives you instant, accurate results based on internationally recognised emission factors. Try it today to see your vehicle's true environmental cost and discover practical, evidence-based ways to drive cleaner, save money on fuel, and help slow climate change.
The top five questions about car carbon footprints, answered.
A car's carbon footprint is the total CO₂ emissions produced by burning fuel during driving. Petrol emits about 2.31 kg CO₂ per litre, diesel about 2.68 kg per litre, and electricity about 0.45 kg CO₂ per kWh on an average grid mix.
Multiply fuel consumed (litres or kWh) by the emission factor for your fuel type. For example, 1,000 litres of petrol × 2.31 = 2,310 kg CO₂ per year. Distance ÷ 100 × efficiency gives fuel consumed.
Yes, but much lower. EVs produce no tailpipe emissions, but the electricity used for charging generates CO₂ at the power plant — typically around 0.45 kg CO₂ per kWh on the global grid average.
One mature tree absorbs about 21 kg CO₂ per year. So if your car produces 2,500 kg CO₂ annually, you'd need around 120 trees to offset it completely each year.
Drive efficiently, maintain your vehicle, combine trips, use public transport, carpool, or switch to a hybrid/EV. Even a 10% reduction in driving distance cuts emissions proportionally.
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