Europe’s toxic drivers as ranked by Eco Experts

Drivers in the Czech Republic are deemed to be the most “toxic” drivers in Europe, according to a survey from a UK solar panel energy supplier, Eco Experts. Meanwhile, Sweden is home to Europe’s most eco-friendly drivers. The company ranked 25 European countries on four measures of vehicle toxicity: average vehicle age, the number of vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, the percentage of alternative fuel passenger cars and the ambient air pollution. The survey was based on data from the ACEA (European Automobil
June 25, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Drivers in the Czech Republic are deemed to be the most “toxic” drivers in Europe, according to a survey from a UK solar panel energy supplier, Eco Experts. Meanwhile, Sweden is home to Europe’s most eco-friendly drivers.


The company ranked 25 European countries on four measures of vehicle toxicity: average vehicle age, the number of vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, the percentage of alternative fuel passenger cars and the ambient air pollution. The survey was based on data from the 6181 ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) and WHO (3263 World Health Organisation).

Motorists in the Czech Republic came out worst. Not only do they have the 6th lowest number of alternative fuel vehicles (0.7%) of passenger cars on Czech  roads, their cars are also the 6th oldest - 14.5 years on average.

Polish vehicle owners were a close second dirtiest, according to the report. Despite having the highest number of alternative fuel passenger cars (15.5%) in the research, Poland performed poorly on all other measures of vehicle toxicity. Most notably, Poland is home to the oldest cars in Europe - 17.2 years on average - and has the highest recorded ambient air pollution in the continent.

Estonian drivers were the 3rd most toxic. They drive the 5th oldest vehicles, around 15.1 years and only about 0.6% of the cars use alternative fuel.

Croatia and Slovakia completed the list of the top five most toxic drivers in Europe.

UK drivers are among the most eco-friendly drivers in Europe, according to the survey results. British motorists ranked 18th in this research for toxicity, faring better than Germany (17th), France (16th), Italy (13th) and Spain (7th).

The UK’s position is largely owing to the low average age of its vehicles, only 8.5 years, and its moderate number of alternative fuel vehicles at 1.1%.

Across the Irish Sea, the UK’s closest neighbour Ireland also ranked well. Coming in at a very respectable 24th for driver toxicity, Ireland is home to the 2nd greenest motorists in the continent. Most notably, the country has the 7th lowest number of vehicles per capita at 494 per 1,000 inhabitants, and has the 4th lowest recorded ambient air pollution in the continent.

This research revealed that motorists in Sweden are the most environmentally-conscious, with the 2nd highest number of alternative fuel vehicles (7%) and the lowest recorded ambient air pollution. The country’s Nordic neighbours also placed well, with Finland (23rd) and Denmark (22nd) being named amongst the top five least toxic drivers in Europe.

From dirtiest (1)
to cleanest (25)
1 Czech Republic
2 Poland
3 Estonia
4 Croatia
5 Slovakia
6 Slovenia
7 Spain
8 Romania
9 Austria
10 Hungary
11 Luxembourg
12 Latvia
13 Italy
14 Lithuania
15 Belgium
16 France
17 Germany
18 United Kingdom
19 Greece
20 Portugal
21 Netherlands
22 Denmark
23 Finland
24 Ireland
25 Sweden

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tackling Europe’s urban road safety problems
    June 12, 2019
    Urban road safety is a key problem in Europe, an issue that needs to be addressed as a priority. That is the finding of a new report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). The ETSC’s report reveals that road deaths on urban roads decreased at around half the rate of those on rural roads over the period 2010-2017. The report also shows that vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, account for 70% of those killed and seriously injured on urban roads. Dovilė Adminaitė-
    Read More
  • Young motorcycle riders at most risk in Europe
    January 20, 2017
    Young powered two wheelers are most at risk of crashing. That is the key finding of a recent report into powered two wheeler crashes in Europe. The analysis of 9,186 crashes where a motorcyclist was severely injured, shows that specifically young, male riders face a significant risk to become a road traffic victim. The European Commission recently published the ‘Study on serious road traffic injuries in the EU’ to collate data that could in the future prevent serious road traffic injuries. The aim was to
    Read More
  • Europe’s road safety targets at risk
    June 15, 2015
    The EU’s targets for road safety are at risk due to increased fatalities in France, Germany and UK. This new analysis has been published by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). According to the ETSC data, 2014 showed the lowest annual reduction in EU road deaths since 2001. In all 25,845 people were killed in road crashes in the 28 nations of the EU during 2014. This represented a decrease of just 0.6% compared to 2013. EU member states now need to cut deaths by almost 8% each year until 2020 to me
    Read More
  • Vulnerable road users face greater risks on Europe’s road network
    May 21, 2014
    Data shows that vulnerable road users are benefiting less from improved road safety. This has been revealed in the 2014 Road Safety Annual Report, which highlights latest road safety data. The number of road fatalities fell by 1.7% between 2011 and 2012 in the 31 countries covered by the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD), according to the International Transport Forum at the OECD. However, road safety policies are not succeeding in improving protection for vulnerable road users. The l
    Read More

Highlighted Content