New analysis by the financial research group Carbon Tracker has revealed a major gap between automakers’ reported emissions and the emissions generated by their vehicles in real-world use.
The discrepancy concerns Category 11 under Scope 3, which accounts for emissions from the use of sold products—roughly 80% of a car manufacturer’s total carbon footprint.
Subaru is far from alone in underreporting. The biggest gap was found at General Motors, where actual emissions exceed reported figures by over 200 million tons of CO2, or 85% of the company’s published data. Ford and Toyota showed a smaller but still significant gap of around 33%.
Why the discrepancy? Analysts point to unrealistic assumptions about vehicle mileage. For example, Subaru bases its estimates on the Japanese domestic market, even though 70% of its sales are in the U.S., where average mileage is much higher.
Plug-in hybrids also contribute to underreporting. Industry tests assume these vehicles operate on electric power more often than they actually do. A study of 800,000 European cars found that real emissions from these vehicles are five times higher than industry numbers suggest.
Ford said it follows standard calculation methods, while Subaru, GM, and Toyota declined to comment.
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