The latest test results from industry body Green NCAP show that even sporty electric cars can be better for the environment than conventionally-powered models. We look at how the latest tested cars fared.
Although electric cars produce zero tailpipe emissions, they’re not totally emissions- free. Green NCAP’s independent tests factor in emissions from how the electricity that powers an electric car is generated. So if a performance-oriented electric car uses excessive energy, you’ll be able to see what effect this has on the environment.
However, the perfect five-star score for the Cupra Born hatchback in Green NCAP’s latest results show that even a relatively sporty electric car can be green, with a much lower environmental impact compared to traditional combustion engine cars.
Find out how the Cupra Born’s green credentials shape up against petrol and mild hybrid rivals below.
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What is Green NCAP?
Similar to how Euro NCAP gives a crash safety rating for new cars, Green NCAP is an independent initiative that is partly funded by Which? and examines the environmental impact of new vehicles.
Green NCAP’s ratings combine real on-road tests and laboratory assessments, and in 2022 these are now even more demanding. Additional assessments examine a car’s performance in more challenging conditions, for example to check whether a car’s environmental performance holds up in colder temperatures.
Green NCAP’s tests go beyond official tests to give more realistic assessments of a car’s actual performance on the road, helping to hold manufacturers to account.
The tests cover three areas:
- The Clean Air assessment look for harmful gases like NOx that lead to air pollution and related health concerns in cities
- Energy Efficiency tests measure the amount of energy that goes to waste when powering the engine
- Greenhouse Gases tests look at the production of gases (such as carbon dioxide) that contribute to climate change, with emissions from power plants and refineries also taken into account
Cupra Born (electric, £36,475**)
Green NCAP score: 5/5
Cupra is Seat’s performance-oriented brand, and the Cupra Born electric car is pitched as a sportier alternative to sister model, the Volkswagen’s ID.3.
The Born is available with two battery sizes in the UK, and Green NCAP tested the more powerful 170kW 'e-Boost’ electric motor (available as an option if you choose the smaller battery).
The car does well in all three of Green NCAP’s assessments, with excellent scores out of 10 for Clean Air (10), Energy Efficiency (9.3) and Greenhouse Gases (9.6).
Despite the Cupra Born being a performance-oriented model, Green NCAP concluded the car still has ‘generally low energy consumption’ and awarded it a full five star rating.
The Cupra Born is currently going through our own battery of lab tests, but see if the Cupra brand is worth a look by checking out all of our Cupra car reviews.
Seat Ibiza (petrol, £17,175*)
Green NCAP score: 2.5/5
Green NCAP has tested the 2021 facelift of the Seat Ibiza, equipped with a 1.0-litre direct injection turbo petrol engine.
While the car generally ‘impresses with very low particle emissions’ thanks to its particulate filter, Green NCAP noted that the car is less impressive on motorways, with ‘poor’ performance related to the levels of carbon monoxide and ammonia released.
It scored 5.8 out of 10 in the Clean Air assessment, 5.1 for Energy Efficiency and just 3.7 in the Greenhouse Gases test.
Carbon dioxide emissions are to blame, with it getting ‘weak’ and ‘marginal’ scores for CO2 in Green NCAP’s various tests. Green NCAP also noted that the car's emission performance was particularly weak in cold conditions and on motorways.
Does this car impress in other areas? Our experts give you the full details in our Seat Ibiza review.
Fiat 500 (mild hybrid, £15,573*)
Green NCAP score: 3/5
This year, Fiat introduced a mild hybrid version of its popular three-cylinder petrol 500 city car. It uses a small battery to support the petrol engine, with the aim of improving fuel economy.
The car scores reasonably in Green NCAP’s tests, with a score of 6.3 out of 10 for energy efficiency and 5.2 for greenhouse gas emissions – the latter score is lower due to carbon dioxide emissions being ‘marginal’ in tests.
However, the 500’s lowest score is 4.3 in the Clean Air assessment. The problem here is that unlike the Seat Ibiza, the 500 is not fitted with a particulate filter, which means its performance for particulate emissions was rated ‘weak’ in most tests, and ‘poor’ in the demanding motorway test.
Green NCAP concluded the car offered ‘average performance’ from an environmental standpoint overall, awarding it 3 stars out of five.
Could this be the perfect car for you? Find out how it performs across the board, and if there’s anything to watch out for, in our Fiat 500 review.
For more cars to consider, check out all our new and used car reviews.
*New prices based on what people pay (including discounts), sourced from 500 franchised dealers across the UK each month.
**For cars we haven’t reviewed yet, these are the On-The-Road prices from the manufacturer’s website, correct at time of publishing.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/even-sporty-electric-cars-can-have-strong-eco-credentials-latest-results-show-a31mD7U3KnkS