Skip to main content

Eastern Europe has the most noxious drivers in the continent

The Czech Republic has the highest levels of toxic emissions caused by drivers, in a study of 25 European countries conducted by The Eco Experts. It found that Poland, Estonia, Croatia and Slovakia ranked in the top five counties for noxious drivers, making Eastern Europe the most toxic region in the continent. Czech drivers ranked the highest for using old and poor quality cars that are just over 14 years old. Results also showed that the number of cars powered by sustainable fuel alternatives is at 0.7
March 29, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The Czech Republic has the highest levels of toxic emissions caused by drivers, in a study of 25 European countries conducted by The Eco Experts. It found that Poland, Estonia, Croatia and Slovakia ranked in the top five counties for noxious drivers, making Eastern Europe the most toxic region in the continent.


Czech drivers ranked the highest for using old and poor quality cars that are just over 14 years old. Results also showed that the number of cars powered by sustainable fuel alternatives is at 0.7%, which is nearly 22 times less than Poland.

Poland came second for having the most toxic drivers in Europe. However, the inquiry also revealed that the country has the highest proportion of alternative fuel vehicles at 15%. These figures, according to The Eco Experts, suggests that the country’s efforts to combat its high air pollution levels are heavily dependent on the roll out of sustainably powered vehicles.

The initiative cross-referenced data for the percentage of alternative fuel cars, average vehicle age, the number of vehicles per 1,000 people and ambient air pollution. Individual rankings were then combined to give an overall impression of the countries that have the most toxic motorists.

Fran Whittaker-Wood of The Eco Experts said: “Road transport is one of the biggest sources of air pollution and although our research shows that poor quality vehicles is the biggest contributing factor to toxic driving emissions, the reality is that most people can’t afford to replace their cars with sustainable alternatives because they are just too expensive. If governments are serious about cutting driver pollution levels then more needs to be done to make these cars affordable to everyone.”

Sweden ranked in first place overall for having Europe’s greenest motorists. Additional findings are available %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external here false https://blog.theecoexperts.co.uk/most-toxic-drivers-europe false false%>.

Related Content

  • June 12, 2018
    Birmingham has highest number of ULEVs in UK
    The city of Birmingham is home to the highest number of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the UK, according to new research: there were 12,247 licenced models as of Q4 last year, says number plate specialist Click4reg. Its analysis of the top 20 UK local authorities was carried out ahead of government plans to host a zero-emissions vehicle summit in September 2018. The event is due to focus on vehicle technology to tackle carbon emissions and improve air quality. The research showed that Peterbo
  • February 14, 2019
    Dutch are most ready for AVs - but bikes are an obstacle, says KPMG
    The Netherlands is the number one country in terms of readiness to deploy autonomous vehicles (AVs) – except for one small problem: bicycles. People on two wheels - in this notoriously bike-friendly country - pose a problem for the deployment of AVs in built-up areas, according to research by KPMG. “We have a lot of bicycles,” says Stijn de Groen, manager digital advisory, automotive, at KPMG in the Netherlands. “In urban, crowded areas it will be very difficult to start autonomous driving.” Leavin
  • January 2, 2018
    CVMA: Quebec's ZEV plan may create unintended consequences
    The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association’s (CVMA’s) president Mark Nantais has stated that Quebec’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) regulations “may result in unintended consequences for consumers, automobile dealers, industry and ultimately, Quebec's economy,” in response to the new strategy introduced by the province’s government. The standard aims to increase the number of ZEVs in the region and to reduce greenhouse gas and other pollutant emissions. It will come into effect on the 11 January 2018.
  • July 27, 2018
    London has most EV chargers among major global cities, says Spotahome
    London has the most electric vehicle (EV) charging points compared to 89 major global cities, says Spotahome. The home rental company has standardised data available for charging points and awarded the highest index score of 10 to the UK capital. The cities that came after London include Amsterdam (9.63), Rotterdam, (8.73), Berlin, (8.24) and Hamburg (7.2). However, Spotahome rated other cities in the UK such as Manchester in 18th place (1.76), Edinburgh 31st (1.1) and Leeds 35th (0.88). At to th