ADAC EcoTest 2020: E-cars top and Hyundai Ioniq clearly ahead of VW ID.3

Consequently, for the ADAC, e-vehicles are not considered "zero-emission vehicles" unlike for the manufacturers. Instead, the CO2 emissions from electricity generation using the German power plant mix are factored in—well-to-wheel and including the energy required for fuel production, which is a significant factor. For this reason, larger and heavier electric vehicles with higher energy demands perform significantly worse. For example, the Audi e-tron 55 Sportback and the Mercedes EQC, with consumption rates of 24.4 kWh/100 km (Audi) and 27.6 kWh/100 km (Mercedes) respectively, do not exceed three stars, which is disappointing given the high sustainability claims these models assert.

Clever hybrids: Well-made hybrids from Honda and Suzuki

On the other hand, from the ADAC's perspective, petrol cars can also achieve a good score. The Honda Jazz and Suzuki Swift, due to their low consumption and resultant low CO2 emissions (5.1 l/100 km), and exemplary exhaust cleaning, land in the top positions and get four stars.

PHEVs: Environmentally catastrophic as large SUVs

The much-debated plug-in hybrids, which saw a registration increase of over 300 percent last year, also left a mixed impression in the stringent ADAC test: Large and heavy cars like the BMW X5 and the Mercedes GLE do not become environmentally friendly vehicles even with plug-in technology and actually only receive one star. However, the Volvo V60 Twin Engine and the Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in, which consume less, prove that it can be different from the ADAC's perspective. The Hyundai uses just 3.1 liters of premium petrol and 8.0 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers, while the Volvo secures four stars thanks to effective exhaust cleaning.

"What is crucial, however, is the actual proportion of electric driving and ideally whether the electricity comes from one's own photovoltaic system," the ADAC assesses this vehicle category.

The purely electric range of plug-in vehicles is currently around 40 to 50 kilometers, but manufacturers are already promising better models. For instance, the new Mercedes C-Class, which is set to launch in mid-2021, is expected to drive 100 kilometers without the combustion engine, predicts the club.

What does this mean?

No one examines "Germany's favorite child" as thoroughly as the reformed automobile club when it comes to environmental friendliness, certainly not with this level of rigor and scope. The eco-balance would look significantly better for the clearly dominant pure electric vehicles if a consistent switch to green electricity was made. In that case, combustion engines would already have no chance and would only see the LED taillights. However, because the German government has negligently squandered the energy transition initiated by the Red-Green coalition during 16 years of Merkel's administration—often deliberately delayed and concerted by the powerful energy lobbies—the power mix, which the automobile club justifiably accounts for, still contains many "fossil" elements. These would have been pushed out of the market long ago with a consistent energy transition. But it is improving every year, just as the Ecotest already paints a clear picture in favor of BEVs.

That the ADAC also finds PHEVs as SUVs mostly highly questionable and unmasks their supposed environmental friendliness in accurate tests deserves high praise for the automobile club. It should be commended for considering factors like substantial charging losses and the energy involved in fuel production, as seen with the quintessential electric vehicle Renault Zoe. However, even heavy electric SUVs do not fare well due to their high energy appetite. There is still a lot to do to make cars truly as "eco" as they claim to be.