“Consumers will now be able to make an informed choice about running costs when choosing a new vehicle,” the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) said on Thursday, in response to a new vehicle labelling scheme launched today.

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The new colour-coded CO2 emissions label system is to be rolled out across new car showrooms in the UK this summer, to help consumers make informed choices about fuel economy when purchasing a vehicle. It comes ahead of EU legislation amending the current EU Labelling Directive and its promoters hope it will demonstrate the UK’s commitment to combating climate change.


The label details the cost of running the vehicle: the estimated fuel cost, based on average annual mileage of 12,000 miles, and the cost of 12 months of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). In addition to statutory requirements, the new label has colour-coded arrows graduating from green to red, aligning CO2 emissions to the VED bands.


CO2 labelling is already a statutory requirement, but the existing label has not been successful in catching consumer attention. An RMI spokesman said: “The emissions figures on the existing label are not put into context and it doesn’t get the message across that good fuel economy is good for your pocket as well as the environment.


“However, the new enhanced labelling system can be understood at a glance.”

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The new label is the result of an agreement between the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) Passenger Car Working Group, and vehicle manufacturers.


Vehicle manufacturers will begin to introduce the labels across their dealer networks in July in time for the start of a surge in new car registrations with the number plate change on 1 September.