The Australian government has published the first results New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES)and around two-thirds of brands exceed their emissions targets.
Average emissions from new light passenger vehicles were confirmed to exceed the NVES target by 21 percent.
Type 1 vehicles (passenger cars and SUVs) are subject to a limit of 141 g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2025, while Type 2 vehicles – including vans, vans and large off-road SUVs such as the Ford Everest – are subject to a limit of 210 g/km.
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Overall, Type 1 vehicles had average emissions of 114 g/km, while Type 2 vehicles had average emissions of 199 g/km.
CO2 limits for Type 1 and 2 vehicles will fall every year until 2029, so car brands that met their target in 2025 may not be so lucky in 2026 unless they continue to introduce low or zero emission vehicles to offset their other vehicles.
A total of 40 “regulated companies” – car manufacturers, suppliers or importers – have exceeded their CO2 target for 2025, 19 have not.
The latter include Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Ferrari, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, KGM, JLR, Mahindra, Maserati, Mazda, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, SAIC Maxus (better known as LDV) and Subaru.
Included in this list of brands that have failed to meet their carbon targets is FCA USA LLC, one of four separate entries owned by automotive giant Stellantis. The others are Stellantis Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd, Stellantis Europe SPA and Stellantis Auto SAS.
Confusingly, Stellantis is one of several automakers whose results are split across multiple registered companies.
The government has published a list of regulated companies, along with the number of vehicles covered, their preliminary emissions value, accrued units and accrued liabilities. If a brand has an emissions value above 0 in the meantime, this means it may be subject to penalties for exceeding its target.
Mazda had 38,465 vehicles registered on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) and amassed 508,517 liabilities – the highest number of any company and more than twice as many as second-place Nissan (215,261).
At the other end of the spectrum, BYD Auto Co Ltd had 26,129 vehicles covered and a preliminary emissions value of -4,234,294, followed by Toyota (115,504 vehicles, -2,890,625), Tesla (13,907 vehicles, -2,212,093) and BYD Auto Industry Company Limited (13,474 vehicles, -2,048,530).
The government says there is now a net surplus of 15.9 million NVES units, meaning there is now a market for trading NVES credits. Under the program, a brand that fails to meet its goals can purchase credits from another brand.
This is handy, for example, for brands with high-emitting vehicles that want to avoid penalties, and for brands with low- or no-emission vehicles that want to make a tidy profit. Brands that exceed their targets can also use these credits to offset their liabilities in future years when targets tighten.
A total of 620,947 vehicles were registered in the RAV, of which 71 percent were Type 1 vehicles and 29 percent were Type 2 vehicles.
The NVES covers all new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 4.5 tonnes.
This is the first set of NVES results and the only reporting period that does not cover a full calendar year. This is because the penalty component of the NVES did not come into force until July 1, 2025, even though the NVES officially began on January 1, 2025.
Companies have two years to improve their balance – if it is above zero – by “deleting” units based on their preliminary emissions value. If they fail to do this, the final emissions level will be above zero, which in turn will result in them being issued a non-compliance notice and a penalty.
For brands whose preliminary emissions value was above zero in 2025, this means they must trade their units with another company by December 31, 2027 or risk a penalty of $50 multiplied by their final emissions value in February 2028.
“These initial NVES results show that cleaner vehicles and a competitive market can go hand in hand,” said Catherine King, Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
“Australians continue to have a wide range of vehicles to choose from.
“These results make it clear that NVES supports both lower emissions and affordability for consumers.”
Below we have included the table from the NVES regulator website. Company names remain untouched, except for the removal of incorrect capitalization.
| Regulated company | Number of vehicles covered | Intermediate value of emissions | Accrued Units | Provisions for liabilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo SpA | 62 | 2580 | 0 | 2580 |
| Aston Martin Lagonda Limited | 105 | 13,877 | 0 | 13,877 |
| Audi AG | 8050 | -21,780 | 21,780 | 0 |
| Automobili Lamborghini SPA | 67 | -1594 | 1,594 | 0 |
| BMW Australia Ltd | 15,445 | -340,081 | 340,081 | 0 |
| Beiqi Photon Engine Co., Ltd. Ltd. | 497 | -2941 | 2,941 | 0 |
| Bentham, Vincent Mark | 2 | 138 | 0 | 138 |
| Bentley Motors Limited | 81 | -1875 | 1,875 | 0 |
| BYD Auto Co. Ltd | 26,129 | -4,234,294 | 4,234,294 | 0 |
| BYD Auto Industry Company Limited | 13,474 | -2,048,530 | 2,048,530 | 0 |
| Chery Automobile Co., Ltd | 30,829 | -438,633 | 438,633 | 0 |
| Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. | 383 | -65,540 | 65,540 | 0 |
| Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co. LTD | 2 | -291 | 291 | 0 |
| Dr. Ing. hc F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft | 1653 | 33,448 | 0 | 33,448 |
| FCA USA LLC | 283 | 8194 | 0 | 8194 |
| Ferrari SpA | 108 | 15,785 | 0 | 15,785 |
| Ford Motor Company | 355 | -1079 | 1079 | 0 |
| Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Ltd | 38,541 | -426,261 | 426,261 | 0 |
| Ford Works GmbH | 1169 | -24,559 | 24,559 | 0 |
| GAC International Co., Ltd. | 406 | -34,260 | 34,260 | 0 |
| General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd | 1552 | 65,855 | 0 | 65,855 |
| Great Wall Motor Company Limited | 29,660 | -405,198 | 405,198 | 0 |
| Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology Co. Ltd | 1000 | -165,995 | 165,995 | 0 |
| Honda Motor Company Limited | 9022 | 26,069 | 0 | 26,069 |
| Hyundai Motor Company | 39,863 | 84,563 | 0 | 84,563 |
| Isuzu Motors Limited | 29,825 | -365,080 | 365,080 | 0 |
| JAC engines | 252 | -2185 | 2185 | 0 |
| Jaguar Land Rover Australia Pty Ltd | 3355 | 16,666 | 0 | 16,666 |
| Jaguar Land Rover Limited | 25 | 1819 | 0 | 1,819 |
| KG Mobility Corp. | 1969 | 22,344 | 0 | 22,344 |
| Kia Motors Corporation | 51,732 | -729,698 | 729,698 | 0 |
| Mahindra Automotive Australia Pty Ltd | 2757 | 32,938 | 0 | 32,938 |
| Maserati SPA | 96 | 4496 | 0 | 4496 |
| Mazda Motor Corporation | 38,465 | 508,517 | 0 | 508,517 |
| McLaren Automotive Ltd | 21 | -416 | 416 | 0 |
| Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd | 11,494 | -133,730 | 133,730 | 0 |
| Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited | 35,002 | -82,072 | 82,072 | 0 |
| Nissan Motor Co. (Australia) Pty Ltd | 13,877 | 215,261 | 0 | 215,261 |
| Polestar Performance AB | 1639 | -281,410 | 281,410 | 0 |
| Renault sat | 903 | -16,310 | 16,310 | 0 |
| Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited | 34 | 4497 | 0 | 4497 |
| SAIC Maxus Automotive Co., Ltd | 5519 | 21,129 | 0 | 21,129 |
| SAIC Motor Corporation Limited | 26,991 | -377,601 | 377,601 | 0 |
| SEAT, SA | 823 | -67,733 | 67,733 | 0 |
| Shandong Tangjun Ouling Automobile Manufacture Co., Ltd. | 46 | -9837 | 9837 | 0 |
| Skoda Auto as | 2914 | -86,888 | 86,888 | 0 |
| Smart Automobile Co., Ltd. | 2 | -303 | 303 | 0 |
| Stellantis (Australia and New Zealand) | 336 | -50,466 | 50,466 | 0 |
| Stellantis Auto SAS | 681 | -23,730 | 23,730 | 0 |
| Stellantis Europe SPA | 158 | -9615 | 9615 | 0 |
| Subaru Corporation | 13,187 | 139,635 | 0 | 139,635 |
| Suzuki Motor Corporation | 5042 | -64,204 | 64,204 | 0 |
| Tesla, Inc. | 13,907 | -2,212,093 | 2,212,093 | 0 |
| Toyota Motor Company Australia Limited | 115,504 | -2,890,625 | 2,890,625 | 0 |
| Volkswagen AG | 15,876 | -510,249 | 510,249 | 0 |
| Volvo Car Corporation | 3643 | -158,781 | 158,781 | 0 |
| Wuhan Lotus Cars Co., Ltd. | 1 | -173 | 173 | 0 |
| Zheijiang Zeekr Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd | 1503 | -259,440 | 259,440 | 0 |
| Zhejiang Geely Automobile Co., Ltd. | 4630 | -620,233 | 620,233 | 0 |
| IN TOTAL | 620,947 | -15,942,972 | 17,165,783 | 1,222,811 |
Companies submit their vehicles’ CO2 emissions and running mass – the weight of the vehicle including all fluids, standard equipment and a 75kg driver – to the RAV before releasing a registered road vehicle into the Australian market for the first time.
MORE: What the first federal emissions standard means for Australian car buyers
