new car emission standards australia

Australia’s bringing in a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard from 2025, which is bureaucrat-speak for “car makers now have fleet CO2 targets to hit.”

Passenger cars and SUVs are in one bucket, utes and vans in another; miss your target and you cop penalties, beat it and you earn credits you can trade.

This sits alongside the ADR emissions rules (the Euro-style ones for NOx and particulates), but NVES is about CO2 per kilometre, not smelly stuff from the tailpipe.

Expect more hybrids and EVs, thriftier engines, and a few thirsty models either tweaked or quietly shuffled off; your fuel bill should thank you.

Timing matters if you’re shopping between 2025 and 2029 as targets tighten, so keep an eye on model updates and spec changes.

For exact thresholds, dates and exemptions, consult official government documentation.