Eco-friendly driving

Cars are convenient, but not very good for the environment. Petrol and diesel cars in particular emit large amounts of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

If you are not in a hurry and do not need to carry heavy items, travelling on foot, by bicycle or by public transport can be a more environmentally friendly alternative.

If you want to reduce your car’s environmental impact, it is best to choose an electric car powered by green electricity. Such a car does not produce harmful exhaust emissions while driving.

Hybrid cars are more environmentally friendly than conventional petrol or diesel cars, because they run partly on electricity and therefore use less fuel.

LPG and CNG are also slightly cleaner fuels than petrol or diesel. And all diesel fuel is now low in sulphur, which is better than the older types with a higher sulphur content.

A well-maintained car is safer, more economical and better for the environment. When parts are dirty or worn, the engine uses more fuel and produces more harmful emissions.

For example, a dirty air filter lets less air through, which makes the engine work harder. Worn spark plugs or underinflated tyres can also increase fuel consumption and emissions.

Anticipatory driving, also known as defensive or forward-thinking driving, helps you use less fuel by driving more smoothly and efficiently.

You brake and accelerate less often and less sharply because you anticipate what other road users are going to do. Easing off the accelerator and then accelerating gently uses less fuel than braking suddenly and accelerating hard.

Driving with the windows open increases air resistance, especially at higher speeds. As a result, your car uses more fuel. In warm weather, it is therefore better to use the air conditioning with the windows closed.

At low speeds, the difference is small, but in general: keeping the windows closed is more fuel-efficient than driving with them open.

Switch off electrical equipment as soon as you no longer need it. For example, the air conditioning, heated seats or rear-window heater.

Drive as smoothly as possible and use the appropriate gear. There is no fixed gear for a particular speed, as this varies from one car to another and also depends on the driving conditions. You therefore need to judge this for yourself. When driving uphill, for example, it is often better to stay in a lower gear for longer.

A useful rule of thumb is to change gear at around 2000 rpm in a diesel car and around 2500 rpm in a petrol car.

Revving the engine while the car is in neutral is prohibited. Coasting in neutral is also not a good idea. It uses more fuel than staying in gear, because the engine still needs fuel to keep idling.

If you need to wait for more than 30 seconds, for example at a raised bridge or a closed level crossing, it is best to switch off the engine.

Nowadays, almost all cars do this automatically using a start-stop system.

If you carry something on the roof of your car, it creates extra air resistance and therefore increases fuel consumption.

Remove a roof box or ski box as soon as you no longer need it.

For the same reason, it is better to carry bicycles on a rack at the rear of the car rather than on the roof.

The heavier your car is loaded, the more fuel it will use. So avoid driving around unnecessarily with a full boot.

Cars with combustion engines produce exhaust gases which, together with sunlight, can contribute to the formation of ozone.

That is why your car’s exhaust system contains a catalytic converter. It converts harmful exhaust gases into less harmful substances before they are released into the air.

• Carbon monoxide (CO) → carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• Hydrocarbons (HC) → water (H₂O) and CO₂
• Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) → nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂)

The Euro emission standard indicates how environmentally friendly your car’s engine is. When a car is approved, it is assigned a Euro emission standard from 1 to 6 (or higher for newer models). The higher the number, the stricter the requirements and the fewer harmful pollutants the car is allowed to emit.

You can find the Euro emission standard on your car’s registration certificate, among other places, and sometimes also in the manufacturer’s documentation.

Some cities have low-emission zones (LEZ) where only cars that meet a certain Euro emission standard are allowed to enter.

The ecoscore indicates how environmentally friendly your vehicle is overall. Unlike the Euro emission standard, which only looks at the engine’s emissions, the ecoscore also takes into account fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions, particulate matter, noise and even production.

The ecoscore is expressed as a score out of 100: the higher the score, the better for the environment.

A low-emission zone (LEZ) is an area where access for the most polluting vehicles is restricted in order to improve air quality. Each city decides for itself where to introduce such a zone.

The access requirements may differ from one zone to another. They depend, among other things, on the vehicle category, fuel type and Euro emission standard.

Car sharing means that several people use the same car instead of each person owning one. You book a shared car when you need it and only pay for using it, rather than for buying, insuring or maintaining the vehicle.

Car sharing is better for the environment because fewer cars are needed, which means fewer raw materials, less traffic and lower emissions. It also frees up more street space for cyclists and pedestrians.

Carpooling means that several people travel the same route together in one car. Instead of each person driving separately, you travel together to the same destination, for example to work or school.

Carpooling means fewer cars on the road, which leads to less congestion, lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions. It is also often more sociable and cheaper, because you can share the fuel costs.