Adjust font size:

General Information - Emissions and ADR's

Motor vehicles are a significant contributor to urban air pollution and noise in our major cities.

Motor vehicles are a significant contributor to urban air pollution and noise in our major cities. More information on air pollution can be found at the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website. Air quality improvement mechanisms necessarily involve control and reduction of emissions from motor vehicles. Since the first emission controls were introduced in the early 1970s, the emission limits have been progressively tightened. Over the last 10 years in particular there have been improvements in a number of air quality indicators, and it is generally accepted that the increasing proportion of vehicles meeting tighter emission standards has played a major part in these air quality improvements. There are also community concerns regarding vehicle noise.

To date, the principal measure used in Australia for reducing vehicle emissions and noise has been the introduction of tighter emission standards for new vehicles through the Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

Australian Design Rules

The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) set the standards that each vehicle model is required to meet, prior to their first supply to the market. In the environmental context, the ADRs set standards for emissions, noise and fuel consumption labelling.

The ADRs can be viewed and downloaded from the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (FRLI) at www.frli.gov.au. To find the emission, noise and fuel consumption labelling ADRs on FRLI follow these steps:

Go to www.frli.gov.au
In the "Browse for" list, choose "Legislative Instruments - As made - by title".
Wait for the alphabetical list to come up, scroll down to "V" and then click on "Ve" (for Vehicle)

The ADRs will be listed on the screen and you can open each of them individually to get the details.

Australia has a commitment to harmonise with the vehicle standards developed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe wherever possible. The emission standards now in place reflect that commitment.

Vehicle Emissions

Australia has had new vehicle emission standards in place since the early 1970s and these have been progressively tightened over the past 30 years. The attached table summarises the emission standards which have applied to petrol engined cars since 1972 through to 2010. Controls on emissions from light duty diesel engines have also applied since 1995, with the latest Euro 4 standards applying from 2006. The attached table sets out the emission limits which apply under the UN ECE light vehicle emission and their timetable for adoption in the ADRs.

Heavy vehicles are also subject to emissions controls and a summary table of the relevant ADRs are listed here [ DOC DOC: 55 KB].

The emission ADRs are performance standards which specify the maximum levels of emissions permitted under a specified test. These ADRs do not mandate the use of particular technology, although it has been necessary for vehicle manufacturers to fit catalytic converters to light petrol vehicles in order to meet the emission limits introduced by ADR 37/00 and later standards.

Vehicle Noise

Vehicle noise standards apply to all road vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses. The relevant standard is ADR 83/00, which is being implemented over the 2005-2007 period. As noted above, ADR 83/00 can be viewed and downloaded from the FRLI website.

In Service Emissions

The emissions performance of vehicles once they are on the road (in-service) is the responsibility of the State and Territory Governments. However, the Australian Government undertook a number of studies in the 1990s on the emissions performance of the passenger car fleet.

The National In-service Emission Study (NISE 1), published in 1996, is the most comprehensive study of emissions from cars ever undertaken in Australia. It demonstrated that considerable exhaust emissions benefits could be obtained from regular tuning and maintenance. An update and expansion of this study, NISE 2, is now underway and is being managed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The first stage of NISE 2 is now complete and reports can be accessed here.

The NISE 1 study also indicated that evaporative emissions from vehicles are on average well above the limits mandated in the then applicable standard, Australian Design Rule 37(ADR37). The subsequent Petrol Volatility Project (1997) examined this in more detail and concluded that reducing the volatility of commercial petrol was the most cost effective means to address this problem. States have since set limits on the volatility of summertime petrol supplies.

In July 2001, the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) made the National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) dealing with diesel vehicle emissions. This NEPM provides governments with a range of strategies for reducing emissions from in-service diesel vehicles. The NEPM, plus the detailed technical reports which led to its development, can be found on the NEPC website.

Fuel Issues

As vehicle emissions control technology becomes more sophisticated, the quality of the fuels is critical. The Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 managed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts provides the capacity for the Australian Government to set limits on those fuel parameters which impact on environmental/health objectives, vehicle technology and vehicle operation. Standards for petrol, diesel, LPG and biodiesel are now in place.

These standards address fuel properties that are considered important in facilitating the adoption of emerging vehicle engine and emission control technologies, and in managing ambient levels of pollutants identified as posing health and environmental problems.

Fuel Consumption Labelling

ADR 81/01 Fuel Consumption Labelling for Light Vehicles requires a model specific fuel consumption labels to be placed on the windscreens of new passenger vehicles up to 3.5 tonne gross vehicle mass. The removable label shows the fuel consumption of the car in litres/100km and the CO2 emissions in g/km. The aim of the labelling is to inform consumers considering the purchase of a new car about fuel consumption, and encourage them to take account of fuel consumption in their decision.

Green Vehicle Guide

The Green Vehicle Guide (GVG) provides information about the environmental performance of new light vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass) sold in Australia since mid-2004. It is updated regularly as new models come onto the market.

The detailed information on the GVG helps identify individual vehicle models, including the make, model and variant name, engine and transmission, body style, seating and fuel type. Information provided for each vehicle helps consumers compare the level of emissions of different vehicles and consequently their impact on the environment. The information includes:

Greenhouse Rating (based on CO2 emissions) comparing a vehicles contribution to the greenhouse effect and climate change.
Air Pollution Rating (based primarily on emission standards) helping compare a vehicles contribution to urban air pollution (and associated effects on the environment, human health and amenity).
An Overall Star Rating to help compare vehicles overall emissions levels. The Greenhouse Rating and Air Pollution Rating are combined to determine this Overall Rating.
Fuel Consumption (in L/100km) to help identify the most fuel-efficient vehicle for your needs.

DOC, RTF: To view a Microsoft Word file, you need to have Microsoft Word or Word Viewer installed on the computer. If you do not have the necessary software installed, you can download Microsoft Word Viewer free of charge from the Microsoft website.

Disclaimer: The compatible application(s) listed above are examples only. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government does not endorse any particular software developer or specific application.