AIR Index reveals van real-world urban NOx emissions

The latest findings from the AIR Index, an independent and standardised rating system that reveals how much pollution a vehicle produces when it is used in towns and cities, has shown the best and worst performing vans in terms of real world urban NOx emissions.

The Volkswagen Crafter is the cleanest Euro 6 van tested based on real-world emissions, but the Mercedes Citan emits 17 times more pollution, yet both vehicles conform to the laboratory-based legal standards, the AIR Index reveals.

The AIR Alliance commissioned tests for ten of Europe’s best-selling diesel light commercial vehicles using scientifically robust, on-road vehicle testing according to the latest CWA17379 methodology to give each vehicle a simple A-E colour-coded AIR Index rating, showing the difference between clean and dirty vehicles.

The 2019 Volkswagen Crafter CR35 LWB High Roof 2.0 litre is rated an ‘A’ on the AIR Index, emitting 53 mg/km NOx, 72 mg less than the large-van (Class III) laboratory-based legal limit of 125 mg/km, but the 2019 Mercedes Citan 109 Blue Dualiner 1.5 litre is rated an ‘E’ on the AIR Index, emitting 902 mg/km of NOx, more than 8 times the (Class II) light-van laboratory-based legal limit of 105 mg/km.

Volkswagen’s 2018 Caddy C20 Highline TDI 2.0 litre and Peugeot’s 2019 Partner Asphalt 1.6 litre both get an ‘A’ rating, as their on-road emissions fall below the 80 mg/km laboratory-based light van limit.

As AIR noted at the launch of the AIR Index for cars earlier this year, a number of Euro 6 cars still emit significantly more NOx on the road than in the laboratory test used for their type approval and there is huge overall variation between cars despite them all complying with in-laboratory Euro 6 emissions standards.

The AIR Index was created to inform and empower consumers, owner-drivers, fleet operators and policy makers with the real facts about emissions.