T&E survey: Three quarters in favor of stricter emission limits

According to a recent YouGov survey, a clear majority of 76 percent of the population in major European countries has supported stricter emission limits, requiring automakers to keep vehicle pollution to a minimum. In Germany, two-thirds (66 percent) of respondents, significantly fewer than the average, have advocated for car manufacturers to be legally required to reduce new vehicle emissions as much as technically possible. YouGov surveyed more than 8,000 people in seven EU countries on behalf of the European environmental umbrella organization Transport & Environment (T&E): Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic.

Up to 500 Euros Additional Cost Would Be Acceptable

In Germany, 57 percent of respondents who would buy a new vehicle are also willing to pay up to 500 euros more when purchasing a car – the maximum additional cost for manufacturers to significantly reduce their vehicles' pollutant emissions. The average across the countries was 65 percent. The EU Commission is currently reviewing proposals for new emission standards for cars. According to the NGO, these could help improve the "dramatically poor air quality" in many European cities, which causes tens of thousands of premature deaths annually. The Commission estimates the costs at 100 to 500 euros per car.

"The automotive industry claims that it is too expensive to reduce vehicle emissions, even though the actual costs are less than those of a new vehicle paint job. The public, however, wants cars to be as clean as possible – and people are willing to pay more for clean cars. This decisively refutes the arguments of the automotive industry," says Fabian Sperka, Manager for Vehicle Policy at T&E.