Kg CO2 per litre |
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If you burn a litre of diesel this will produce 2.6391 kgs of carbon dioxide. Petrol has a lower carbon content and so produces 2.3035 kgs of CO2. The precise figures depend on the quality of the fuel. Since fuel weighs less than a kilogram per litre, it is interesting to see how the weight of emissions is multiplied by the addition of oxygen. The tables below show how the official test figures for CO2 emissions and combined MPG can be equated to see how individual vehicles perform in terms of CO2 per litre. Some cars appear to do better than the standard chemistry would suggest, whereas others do worse. So these figures show how inaccurate the testing mechanism can be, and how different engines skew the results. The official tests measure exhaust gases only and then calculate the fuel consumption.
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Top 10 CO2/litre diesel cars | |||||||
| Make | Model | Derivative | CO2 (kg)/litre | CO2 (gpkm) | Litre per 100km | MPG (combined) | List price |
| SEAT | Leon | 1.6 TDi CR 105PS Emocion S | 2.32 | 109 | 4.70 | 60.1 | £17,075 |
| Mercedes-Benz | CLS-Class Coupé | CLS 350 CDI G-Tronic | 2.47 | 200 | 8.09 | 34.9 | £48,400 |
| Vauxhall | Insignia Hatch | 2.0 CDTi Exclusiv Nav 160PS ecoFLEX | 2.48 | 129 | 5.20 | 54.3 | £22,205 |
| Citroen | C3 Picasso New | 1.6HDi Airdream+ 90hp | 2.48 | 119 | 4.80 | 58.9 | £14,895 |
| Citroen | C4 Hatch | 1.6HDi 16V 110bhp VTR+ | 2.48 | 119 | 4.80 | 58.9 | £17,745 |
| Citroen | Berlingo Multispace New | 1.6HDi XTR 110hp DPFS | 2.50 | 140 | 5.60 | 50.4 | £15,465 |
| Volkswagen | Tiguan | 2.0 TDI R Line 4MOTION 170PS | 2.50 | 165 | 6.60 | 42.8 | £27,095 |
| Peugeot | 308 CC | 1.6 HDi Sport 112 FAP | 2.50 | 133 | 5.31 | 53.2 | £21,595 |
| SEAT | Altea | 2.0 TDi 140PS SE | 2.53 | 149 | 5.90 | 47.9 | £18,330 |
| Skoda | Octavia Estate | 2.0 TDI CR 170bhp vRS | 2.53 | 149 | 5.90 | 47.9 | £21,195 |
Bottom 10 CO2/litre diesel cars | |||||||
| Make | Model | Derivative | CO2 (kg)/litre | CO2 (gpkm) | Litre per 100km | MPG (combined) | List price |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Saloon | C 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport Auto | 2.82 | 155 | 5.50 | 51.4 | £29,760 |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Saloon | C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.81 | 135 | 4.80 | 58.9 | £29,295 |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Estate | C 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.81 | 146 | 5.20 | 54.3 | £29,440 |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Estate | C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.79 | 137 | 4.90 | 57.6 | £30,495 |
| Skoda | Octavia Estate | 2.0 TDI CR 170bhp vRS DSG | 2.79 | 159 | 5.70 | 49.6 | £22,360 |
| Mercedes-Benz | E-Class Saloon New | E 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.79 | 145 | 5.20 | 54.3 | £31,820 |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Saloon | C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.78 | 142 | 5.10 | 55.4 | £30,385 |
| Mercedes-Benz | E-Class Saloon New | E 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport Auto | 2.78 | 153 | 5.50 | 51.4 | £33,340 |
| Mercedes-Benz | C-Class Saloon | C 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport | 2.78 | 139 | 5.00 | 56.5 | £28,225 |
| Peugeot | 207 SW | 1.6 HDi Outdoor 112 FAP | 2.77 | 130 | 4.70 | 60.1 | £17,085 |