What Car? Q&A - Do automatic cars pollute more?

Q: I am thinking of buying a new Honda CR-V 2.0 i-VTEC automatic. Can you tell me if the carbon dioxide figure for the auto version is the same as the manual? The figure I have for the manual is 193g/km, but I know automatic models can sometimes pollute more.
Mike Stinton

A: As a rule, automatic gearboxes are less efficient than manuals, and this means automatic cars usually pump out a bit more carbon dioxide.

Some modern automatics are starting to buck this trend, though, and actually manage to lower carbon dioxide output and fuel consumption.

Unfortunately, the Honda CR-V isn't one of these. The manual car emits 192 grammes of carbon dioxide every kilometre, but the auto bumps the carbon output up to 195g/km.

This shouldn't be enough to put you off the auto gearbox, though, because the increase is very small and doesn't push the CR-V into a higher tax band.

If you're a company car driver, though, you will have to pay an extra 1% in tax.