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Directive 1999/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 1999 relating to the availability of consumer information on fuel economy and CO2 emissions in respect of the marketing of new passenger cars
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The Member States must ensure, as a minimum, that all fuel economy labels in their territory:
comply to a standardised format in order to allow greater recognition by consumers;
are of a size of 297 mm × 210 mm (A4);
contain a reference to the model and fuel type of the passenger car to which they are attached;
contain the numerical value of the official fuel consumption and the official specific emissions of CO2. The value of the official fuel consumption is expressed in either litres per 100 kilometres (l/100 km), or an appropriate combination of these and is quoted to one decimal place. The official specific emissions of CO2 are quoted to the nearest whole number in grams per kilometre (g/km).
Such values can be expressed in different units (gallons and miles) to the extent compatible with the provisions of Directive 80/181/EEC(1).
contain the following text regarding the availability of the guide on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions: ‘A guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions which contains data for all new passenger car models is available at any point of sale free of charge’
contain the following text: ‘In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming’
The Member States must ensure that the guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions contains, as a minimum, the following information:
a listing of all new passenger car models available for purchase within the Member States on a yearly basis, grouped by makes in alphabetic order. If in a Member State the guide is updated more than once a year, then the guide should contain a listing of all new passenger car models available on the date of the publication of this update;
for each model that appears in the guide, the fuel type, the numerical value of the official fuel consumption and the official specific emissions of CO2. The value of the official fuel consumption is expressed in either litres per 100 kilometres (l/100 km) or kilometres per litre (km/l), or an appropriate combination of these, and is quoted to one decimal place. The official specific emissions of CO2 are quoted to the nearest whole number in grams per kilometre (g/km).
Such values can be expressed in different units (gallons and miles) to the extent compatible with the provisions of Directive 80/181/EEC;
a prominent listing of the 10 most fuel-efficient new passenger car models ranked in order of increasing specific emissions of CO2 for each fuel type. The listing must contain the model, the numerical value of the official fuel consumption and the official specific emissions of CO2;
advice to motorists that correct use and regular maintenance of the vehicle and driving behaviour, such as avoiding aggressive driving, travelling at lower speeds, anticipation braking, correctly inflating tyres, reducing periods of idling, not carrying excessive weight, improve the fuel consumption and reduce the CO2 emissions of their passenger car;
an explanation of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, potential climate change and the relevance of motor cars as well as a reference to the different fuel options available to the consumer and their environmental implications based on the latest scientific evidence and legislative requirements;
a reference to the Community's target for the average emissions of CO2 from new passenger cars and the date of which the target should be achieved;
a reference to the Commission's guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions on the Internet, when available.
Textual Amendments
The Member States must ensure that the poster/display meets, as a minimum, the following requirements:
the poster or display is a minimum size of 70 cm × 50 cm;
the information is easy to read;
in a display where information is provided on an electronic screen, the screen size shall be at least 25 cm × 32 cm (17 inches). The information may be shown using scroll techniques;
the passenger car models are grouped and listed separately according to fuel type (e.g. petrol or diesel etc.). Within each fuel type, models are ranked in order of increasing CO 2 emissions, with the model with the lowest official fuel consumption being placed at the top of the list;
for each passenger car model in the list the make, the numerical value of the official fuel consumption and the official specific emissions of CO 2 are given. The value of the official fuel consumption is expressed in either litres per 100 kilometres (l/100 km), kilometres per litre (km/l), or an appropriate combination of these, and is quoted to one decimal place. The official specific emissions of CO 2 are quoted to the nearest whole number in grams per kilometre (g/km).
Such values may be expressed in different units (gallons and miles) to the extent compatible with the provisions of Directive 80/181/EEC.
the poster/display contains the following text regarding the availability of the guide on fuel economy and CO 2 emissions: ‘A guide on fuel economy and CO 2 emissions which contains data for all new passenger car models is available at any point of sale free of charge’; in the case of a display featuring an electronic screen this message must be permanently visible;
the poster/display contains the following text: ‘In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car's fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions. CO 2 is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming’; in the case of a display featuring an electronic screen this message must be permanently visible;
the poster/display will be updated at least every six months. Where an electronic display is used, the information shall be updated at least every three months;
the poster/display may be substituted completely and permanently by an electronic screen. In this case the electronic screen shall be presented in such a way that it attracts the awareness of the consumer at least with the same intensity as a poster/display would have achieved.]
The Member States must ensure that all promotional literature contains the official fuel consumption and official specific CO2 emissions data of the vehicles to which it refers. This information should, as a minimum, meet the following requirements:
be easy to read and no less prominent than the main part of the information provided in the promotional literature;
be easy to understand even on superficial contact;
officiel fuel consumption data should be provided for all different car models to which the promotional material covers. If more than one model is specified then either the official fuel consumption data for all the models specified is included or the range between the worst and best fuel consumption is stated. Fuel consumption is expressed in either litres per 100 kilometers (l/100 km), kilometers per litre (km/l) or an appropriate combination of these. All numerical data are quoted to one decimal place.
Such values may be expressed in different units (gallons and miles) to the extent compatible with the provisions of Directive 80/181/EEC.
If the promotional literature only contains referance to the make, and not to any particular model, then fuel consumption data need not be provided.
Council Directive 80/181/EEC of 20 December 1979 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement and on the repeal of Directive 71/354/EEC (OJ L 39, 15.2.1980, p. 40). Directive as last amended by Directive 89/617/EEC (OJ L 357, 7.12.1989, p. 28).
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