Average battery electric car emission factor by year
| Year | Scope 2 (kg CO2e per mile) | Grid losses | Full figure | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.043220 | 0.004290 | 0.047510 | -26.7% |
| 2025 | 0.058940 | 0.006180 | 0.065120 | -16.0% |
| 2024 | 0.070150 | 0.006200 | 0.076350 | -13.6% |
| 2023 | 0.081158 | 0.007028 | 0.088186 | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 0.075780 | 0.006940 | 0.082720 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 0.080970 | 0.007170 | 0.088140 | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 0.084870 | 0.007290 | 0.092160 | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 0.089310 | 0.007580 | 0.096890 | – |
Total kg CO2e for the seven greenhouse gases, from the official DESNZ files for each year. 2026 factor ID: 8_301_3076_9_1. Where a factor jumps sharply between two years, it is usually because DESNZ changed its method or data source, not because the activity itself changed.
Worked example
Take one electric company car driven 12,000 business miles a year. 12,000 miles × 0.043220 kg CO2e = 0.52 tonnes CO2e, reported as Scope 2. Adding grid losses brings the full figure to 0.57 tonnes CO2e; the extra 0.05 tonnes are Scope 3 category 3.
How to report it
An electric car has no exhaust emissions, so there is no Scope 1 figure. The electricity it uses is Scope 2 when you pay for the charging. If it charges on your own sites' meters, that electricity is already in your bills, so don't count the miles as well.
The factor falls each year with the grid electricity factor.
Where the data comes from
You'll usually find it in mileage logs or telematics, in miles. Keep the source documents: anyone checking your Carbon Reduction Plan or SECR report may ask how each figure was worked out.
Read more about how the factors change each year in our guide to the 2026 conversion factors, or see how we apply them in our methodology.
Related emission factors
- UK grid electricity: 0.13096 kg CO2e per kWh
- Average hybrid car: 0.20857 kg CO2e per mile
- Average diesel car: 0.27786 kg CO2e per mile
- All UK emission factors