Before buying a new car, a million thoughts probably go through your mind. Is it worth the investment?
Will it save you extra costs? If you care about the environment and the impact that cars have on it, you
probably also think about whether getting a car is going to be environmentally friendly.

So, what are the most environmentally friendly cars among all the options that you have? Used ones or
new ones?

Used Cars Don’t Require Additional Materials
When you purchase a used car, it has already gone through the stages of manufacturing and
transportation from the time that it was made. The environmental impact of it going forward is from the
time that you buy it. With this one used car, you and the owner before you have split the environmental
damages that went into the production of the car.
The footprint created by the used car is divided between two owners, as opposed to if you had bought a
new car. With a new car, the environmental damage done during its manufacturing and transportation
all contributes to your own carbon footprint.
The materials that are used during the manufacturing of new cars, along with the emissions of fumes
from chemicals that are needed in the process cause almost 30% of the total carbon dioxide emissions a
year. The transportation of the car to the showrooms adds to these emissions.
When you buy a used car, it’s still new for you but doesn’t take any extra production from the time it
was originally purchased.. There are many machines that go into manufacturing a car, as well as fossil
fuels, that you’re saving from buying a car that has already gone through these processes.
It’s less taxing to the environment if you use something that has already been created, rather than
incurring the cost of producing something from scratch.

Buying a Used Car Saves it from the Landfill
Even though many used car parts can be recycled to be used in other cars and their metals can be
reused, a lot of their parts end up in landfills. They’re crushed into boxes and fill up the dump. Tires take
a very long time to decompose, while the batteries can leak acids that have a grave impact on the
environment.
When your tires are incinerated, they release gases and fumes into the air like carbon monoxide,
dioxides, and furans that add to the pollution in our air already and end up being inhaled by people.
What You Can Do to Make Your Car Usage More Environmentally Friendly:
Despite what we do, cars will always leave a footprint on the environment. However, they’re convenient
and for most of us, they are a necessity. You can reduce the amount of environmental harm you add to
the atmosphere by doing the following:
 Always make sure your tires are properly inflated
 Use the right motor oil that is adequate for your car’s make and model
 Make sure your engine is always in shape
 Make less trips to the same area by listing down everything you need to do from that location

 Do not add too much weight to your car, whether it is inside the car or the roof-top cargo
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, your car needs to be the right car for your needs. Whenever you consider
purchasing a car, you have to keep in mind several factors, like price, space, efficiency and maintenance,
among several others.
Make sure that you keep the environment in your thoughts and consider a car that has as little of an
environmental impact as possible.