Comparison of financial and external costs related to the use of selected electric and conventional passenger cars – the example of Poland

Abstract Since the early 1990s, more and more restrictive car emission standards have been successively introduced, and since 2015, targets of CO2 emission have also been in force. Even though these measures are effective in decreasing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and also CO2 in recent years in the European Union (EU), the European Commission more and more emphatically stresses the necessity of evolution of the conventional road transport towards electromobility. The paper presents the financial and environmental aspects related to the use of selected passenger cars in Poland. External effects were calculated taking into account emission from the wear and tear of tyres and braking systems (conventional and electric cars), fuel combustion (conventional cars) and emission related to the production of the energy needed for propelling vehicles in the Polish energy sector (electric cars). The external costs were calculated in terms of emission for all the vehicles in the analysis. On this basis, conclusions were drawn with regard to the economic justification for the purchase and use of vehicles in Poland.