SUV Environmental Concerns Federal law permits Sport Utility Vehicles to waste 33 percent more gasoline than passenger cars. SUVs can spew 30 percent more carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and 75 percent more nitrogen oxides than passenger cars. Commercials often depict happy families driving on mountain roads, avoiding fallen rocks and enjoying the flowered wilderness in leather-seated comfort. The truth is that these vehicles are contributing to the destruction of our natural resources.
Automobiles have a large impact on the quality of our environment and public health.
Automobile use affects virtually every aspect of environmental quality - including noise levels, air quality, water pollution, and urban sprawl. Driving an SUV has a much greater impact on the environment than driving other passenger cars. In large part, this is due to double standards set by law and government regulations. Automakers have been exploiting these double standards to build and sell more wasteful vehicles. For example, the federal regulations allow SUVs to waste 33 percent more gasoline than passenger cars.