European Union is preparing to introduce a new labelling system for electric cars and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – similar to household appliances. It will be a mandatory colour-coded energy label with efficiency classes from “A” to “F” that will reflect the car’s real electricity consumption.

The idea is simple: just as refrigerators or washing machines receive an energy efficiency class, electric cars will also have a clear scale of costs. The most economical models will receive an “A” mark, and the most energy-consuming ones will receive an “F”. A preliminary option is being considered under which class “A” will be assigned to cars with a consumption of up to 14 kWh per 100 km. The range of 14-16 kWh will correspond to class “B”, 16-18 kWh – “C” and so on. The final threshold values ​​​​are still being specified.

Currently, Europe already has mandatory CO2 emissions information for new cars , but for electric cars it does not actually reflect the amount of energy consumed. The new system should make the market more transparent, allowing buyers to easily compare, for example, a compact city electric car and a large electric SUV in terms of real-world energy consumption in the combined and urban cycles.

However, the initiative is not only informative. Brussels openly admits that the labeling will also affect the financial component. The level of energy efficiency can become the basis for the formation of local taxes and fees. This means that more “gluttonous” models will pay more, and existing tax breaks for individual electric cars, in particular exemption from local transport tax, may be revised or canceled.

The system will be mandatory not only for new cars, but also for used and commercial electric vehicles. Sellers of used cars will have to use a centralized database, obtain the appropriate label and provide it to the buyer at the time of sale. Thus, the innovation will become part of a pan-European regulatory package and will have the same mandatory status as the current energy efficiency directives.