The organisation says that improved technology and an increase in the share of diesel cars are the main reasons behind the fall in average CO2 emissions but adds that the economic crisis may have increased sales of more efficient models in some countries.

Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director, said: ‘New vehicle technology is becoming more efficient, which is an encouraging sign. But significantly cutting the greenhouse gases from transport will also require a more fundamental change in the transport modes we use and how we use them.’

Other key findings comprise:

• In 2012, approximately 12 million new cars were sold. This number has decreased since it peaked in 2007, when 15.5 million new vehicles were registered. Registrations of new cars fell furthest in 2012 in Greece (-41%), Portugal (-38%) and Cyprus (-25%), while at the other end of the scale new cars increased by more than 12% in in Estonia and Hungary.
• Diesel vehicles represent 55% of the newly registered vehicle fleet. Diesel cars have traditionally had lower CO2 emissions than their petrol counterparts although this gap has narrowed in recent years. However, it is important to note that diesel cars emit higher levels of some air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, compared to petrol-driven equivalents.
• The lowest CO2 emissions per kilometre were in Denmark (117g/km) and Portugal (118g/km). The largest improvement in efficiency between 2011 and 2012 was in Greece (9%) and Denmark (6%).
• Hungary and Belgium were the only two EU Member States where cars sold in 2012 were on average less efficient than those sold the year before. Cars with the highest average emissions were sold in Latvia (152g/km) and Estonia (150g/km).
• Alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) include electric cars, hybrids and cars running on alternative fuels such as liquid petroleum gas and ethanol. A total of 13% of new cars sold in Italy were alternative fuel vehicles, the highest proportion in any Member State.
• Annual pure electric vehicle sales increased 20-fold over the last three years, going from around 700 in 2010 to around 14,000 in 2012. Most of these cars were registered in France (more than 5,500 vehicles in 2012) and Germany (almost 3,000 vehicles).

The report adds that carbon dioxide emissions from road transport increased by 21% between 1990 and 2011. The sector is responsible for 23% of all CO2 emissions in the EU.

In response, the EU has a short-term target for average new car emissions to be below 130g/km by 2015, and a long-term target of 95g/km by 2020. In 2012, average emissions were 132.2g/km.

2012 is the first year that manufacturers may face fines if they exceed their individual emissions target and the EEA will report on compliance with 2012 targets once the data is confirmed later this year.