In the past two years, the CO2 emissions of company car fleets have decreased by one-third, according to research by Acerta reported in De Tijd on Tuesday.
Since the summer of 2023, only electric cars have been eligible for maximum tax deductions, significantly impacting the average CO2 emissions of Belgium’s company vehicles. In previous years, emissions decreased by just a few percent or even slightly increased. However, the first quarter of 2024 saw a drop of over 17% compared to the previous year. By the end of March this year, emissions had decreased by nearly another 20%. This marks a reduction in average fleet emissions by more than one-third in two years, from 100.3 to 66.6 grams per kilometre. Compared to ten years ago, this represents nearly a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions.
The reform, introduced by former Finance Minister and current Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem (CD&V), effectively ended the use of petrol, diesel, and hybrid company cars. Currently, 70 to 80% of newly ordered company vehicles are fully emission-free. Road transport accounts for around one-fifth of the annual CO2 emissions in Belgium, with a significant portion coming from cars. Among these, the approximately 650,000 company cars are overrepresented as they generally cover more kilometres than privately owned vehicles.
