Australians are paying too much for fuel, and driving vehicles that spew out all sorts of harmful pollutants into the air. It’s time we change that. Fuel efficiency standards cover 85 per cent of the global car market.

Because Australia has been so slow to catch up, we have become a dumping ground for polluting petrol and diesel cars that are much dirtier and less efficient than those commonly sold in other markets. We can fix this.

This short brief highlights the benefits strong fuel efficiency standards can deliver for Australians, including for our health, household budgets and the choice of vehicles available locally. Everyone will win if we get this right.

What are fuel efficiency standards?

Fuel efficiency standards aim to make new vehicles more efficient so that they consume less petrol or diesel. Making new vehicles more efficient reduces the amount of harmful carbon pollution they produce when driven. This can be achieved either by changing technology altogether – by introducing more zero-emissions vehicles – or improving existing technology so that petrol and diesel vehicles run more efficiently and use less fuel.