(1)

A new regulatory test procedure for measuring CO2 emissions and fuel consumption from light duty vehicles, the World Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) set out in Commission Regulation (EU) C(2017) 3521 (2), will replace the New European Test Cycle (NEDC), which is currently used pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 (3) but no longer corresponds to present-day's driving conditions or vehicle technologies. The WLTP will provide stricter test conditions and more realistic fuel consumption and CO2 emission values to the benefit of consumers. Requirements regarding consumer information should include the manner in which access to this improved information will be ensured in order to provide for the necessary comparability of that information.

(2)

Directive 1999/94/EC aims to ensure that information relating to fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new passenger cars offered for sale or lease in the Union is made available to consumers in order to enable them to make an informed choice when purchasing a new car. That Directive requires, with regard to new passenger cars, that both official fuel consumption and official specific emissions of CO2 of new passenger cars, as defined in points (5) and (6) of Article 2 of that Directive, are made available to consumers. The values to be used are those type-approved and measured by the type-approval authority in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) and of Regulation (EC) No 692/2008, in particular Annex XII thereof, and included in Annex VIII to Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (5). Those values are to be attached to the EC vehicle type-approval certificate and are to be included in the certificate of conformity.

(3)

The WLTP is to be phased-in, starting with new passenger car types, as described in Part B of Annex II to Directive 2007/46/EC, from 1 September 2017, followed by new passenger cars from 1 September 2018. End-of-series vehicles, as defined in point (22) of Article 3 of Directive 2007/46/EC, which are type-approved and measured in accordance with the NEDC, may be placed on the market for a period of 12 months from the date on which validity of the EC type-approval expired, i.e. until 31 August 2019. As a consequence, from 1 September 2019 all new passenger cars placed on the Union market are to be tested in accordance with the WLTP.

(4)

During the phasing-in of the WLTP, the EC vehicle type-approval certificate and the certificate of conformity are to mention fuel consumption and CO2 emission values type-approved and measured in accordance with the NEDC and/or the WLTP. For passenger cars type-approved in accordance with the WLTP, both WLTP and NEDC fuel consumption and CO2 emission values will be recorded in the certificate of conformity.

(5)

For that transitional period of phasing-in of the WLTP, it is therefore important to clarify which values are to be used for consumer information purposes pursuant to Directive 1999/94/EC to ensure that consumer information remains comparable across all new passenger cars and all Member States.

(6)

It is very likely that the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions values measured in accordance with the WLTP will be different from the ones measured in accordance with the NEDC. WLTP values will in many cases be higher compared to NEDC values for the same car. Furthermore, in contrast to the NEDC, the WLTP will provide for specific fuel consumption and CO2 emission values for each individual vehicle reflecting the vehicle specifications and optional equipment that affect those values. That should be able to provide consumers with more precise and realistic information on each new passenger car or, in the case of a given car model, on the range of possible fuel consumption and CO2 emission values.

(7)

Test results on fuel consumption and CO2 emission values are recorded for different test phases. For vehicles type-approved in accordance with the NEDC, values are provided for ‘urban’ and ‘extra-urban’ conditions as well as ‘combined’ and ‘weighted, combined’ values. For vehicles type-approved in accordance with the WLTP, values are provided for ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’, and ‘extra high’ as well as ‘combined’ and ‘weighted, combined’ values. In order to ensure comparability at least the ‘combined’ values of the applicable test method should be made available to consumers.

(8)

Where separate from the labels, guides, posters or promotional literature and material required under Directive 1999/94/EC information relating to fuel consumption or CO2 emissions is made available to consumers based on non-harmonised test protocols within the scope of voluntary schemes by manufacturers, consumers should be made fully aware that such values are based on non-harmonised test protocols. Consumers should be advised that, in order to compare new passenger cars' fuel consumption or CO2 emissions, values measured and type-approved in accordance with a harmonised EU test protocol should be used.

(9)

When transposing Directive 1999/94/EC, some Member States have chosen to include also information about air pollutants on the car labels in addition to the information on fuel consumption and specific CO2 emissions. With the introduction of the WLTP and the real driving emission (RDE) test procedure and with the new requirements for declaring a maximum value of real-driving emissions on the certificate of conformity of new cars (6), information on air pollutants will be available as of 1 September 2017 for all new vehicle types and as of 1 September 2019 for all new vehicles. In line with the recommendation by the European Parliament following the inquiry into emission measurements in the automotive sector (7), Member States should consider whether to make such information available to consumers with a view to raising awareness and enabling consumers to make an informed choice when purchasing a car.

(10)

In order to ensure that consumers fully understand the implications of the change to the WLTP, all concerned parties should run or contribute to information campaigns to explain the effects of the new test procedure on fuel consumption and CO2 emission values. Those information campaigns should involve public authorities, consumer organisations, environmental and non-governmental organisations, driver associations, and the car industry.

(11)

After having conducted consultations with the Expert Group for policy development and implementation of CO2 from road vehicles, with experts from industry, consumer organisations and other non-governmental organisations and Member States, the Commission considers it appropriate to provide recommendations as to how the official fuel consumption and official specific emissions of CO2 of new passenger cars should be expressed for consumer information purposes.

(12)

A recommendation should be adopted to enable consumers to make an informed choice and to encourage a harmonised application of Directive 1999/94/EC throughout the Union.

(13)

The measures provided for in this Recommendation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established under Article 10 of Directive 1999/94/EC,