LEUVEN, BELGIUM – Today, Green NCAP reveals the final recipients of its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Award. The award recognises vehicles that achieve the lowest environmental impact across their entire lifespan, from production and use to end-of-life. For the year 2024, five five-star-rated electric vehicles (EVs) have been awarded for their outstanding LCA performance: the BYD Dolphin, Hyundai KONA, Jeep Avenger, Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, and Tesla Model 3.
Since its launch, Green NCAP’s star rating system has allowed consumers to compare cars based on real-world-tested emissions and energy consumption under standardised driving conditions. The LCA Award takes a holistic approach, assessing not only how clean a car is on the road but also the environmental costs of manufacturing, energy supply, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal.
The threshold for the 2024 LCA Award was set at 100 g CO₂-eq/km (compared to 120 g CO₂-eq/km set for its first awardees), meaning only those vehicles with a total life cycle GHG emissions at or below this level receive the recognition. Out of 18 tested EVs last year, only five met this strict criterion, representing 28% of the assessed models. The results show that small, efficient vehicles with relatively compact batteries perform best. These awardees represent a diverse group of manufacturers from China, Europe, South Korea, and the United States, demonstrating that sustainability leadership is emerging across different markets at a global level.
The latest results also reaffirm the trend that pure electric vehicles (PEVs) are continuously improving, with each LCA data update reflecting notable advancements. The electricity mix used for charging has become progressively greener. In turn, this has led to a reduction in the emissions associated with EV use. Battery production has also become less greenhouse gas (GHG)-intensive. Additionally, EV energy consumption has improved in recent years, contributing to a better overall LCA score. These are positive improvements overall; however, when vehicles become larger and heavier, they increase their electricity demand and total carbon footprint, scaling down the benefits of the efficiency increase. Data from Green-NCAP-tested cars indicates that since 2020-2021, average battery capacity has increased to about 70 kWh in 2024, proving the need to balance energy efficiency with consumer demand for longer driving range.
The improvement of the average life cycle GHG emissions between the 14 pure electric vehicles tested in 2020-2022 and the 26 EVs tested in 2023-2024 is shown by the normalised distribution in Figure 1.
While CO2 savings with new EVs are significant and underline the potential for further reductions, Green NCAP observes no change in the life cycle emissions of conventional vehicles using fossil fuels. Figure 2 shows the gap between the 26 EVs and the 28 conventional petrol and diesel cars tested in 2023-2024.
Recent developments have helped lower overall emissions. However, Green NCAP emphasises that no vehicle is free from environmental impact, and ongoing improvements are needed across industry to make mobility more sustainable.
Discussion around a vehicle’s impact on the environment does not stop at direct exhaust emissions. Consumers deserve a complete picture of a car’s environmental footprint, and Green NCAP’s Life Cycle Assessment provides just that. Our latest results reveal that while pure electric vehicles benefit from a greener electricity mix and better battery production processes, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Life cycle emissions still vary significantly depending on factors like vehicle mass, energy source, battery size, and powertrain efficiency. What’s clear, however, is that conventional vehicles face greater challenges in reducing their overall climate impact, as their emissions are mainly related to the usage of fossil fuels and their limited potential to improve powertrain efficiency. — Dr. Aleksandar Damyanov, Technical Manager Green NCAP
This announcement marks the final LCA Award under Green NCAP’s current evaluation framework. This summer, Green NCAP’s new 2025 rating protocols will integrate LCA results fully into its Green Star ratings, ensuring that consumers and manufacturers become more focused on the full environmental impact of a vehicle over its lifetime instead of just focusing on exhaust emissions.
