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Study shows UK offshores emissions through used vehicle exports

General Research

A new study by researchers at Nuffield Department of Population Health’s Demographic Science Unit reveals that used vehicles sent from Great Britain to lower-income countries fail British roadworthiness standards, are more polluting and less fuel efficient than those sent to be scrapped.

Illustration of blue car in bad conditions over a red background with some continents in brown made form the car's fumes

Published today in Nature Climate Change, the study found that exported used vehicles generate at least 13-53% more emissions per mile than those that are scrapped or on the road in Great Britain. The researchers used mandatory annual vehicle inspections – known as MOT tests – of all 65 million used vehicles on British roads between 2005 and 2021 to compare the pollution and emissions intensity of vehicles exported to those scrapped, destroyed, or driven in Great Britain.

Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Population Health's website

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