According to annual CO2 analysis by Jato Dynamics, the amount of CO2 emissions for new cars across Europe fell by 3.2 per cent during 2015. The analysis included 23 European markets and it was found that the average emissions were 4g/km lower than the total from 2014 - and an even more substantial 7.5g/km lower than the figure registered in 2013. It's believed that a lot of the improvement is due to performance in smaller markets such as Norway and Switzerland, as well as the better results being posted by big volume car manufacturers. Increases in electric vehicle registrations are also believed to have had a positive impact, with a 9.3 per cent increase taking place in the analysed period. Peugeot led the way in terms of emission falls for 2015, with Citroen and Renault second and third.æ Peugeot slashed their levels by an impressive 5.8g/km on the previous year, with their total average CO2 emissions falling from 109.3g/km in 2014 to 103.5g/km in 2015. It's believed that the 1.0 and 3 cylinder engines that power the Peugeot 108 contributed significantly to the improvement. Citroen, the other major volume brand within the PSA Group, were down by 5.1g/km when compared to the previous year.æ The substantial increase in sales for the Citroen 4 Cactus _ 173 per cent _ heavily drove the company's improvement throughout the year. Toyota and Nissan took fourth and fifth place respectively in the list of manufacturers with most improved vehicle emissions. Skoda showed the most improvement within the top 20 companies, with the new generation Fabia helping to cut their average emissions by 6.2g/km as a result of the improved engines used in the model. Though they remained outside the top 20, Land Rover reduced its emissions by a substantial 11.4g/km, and Smart's average continued to be a low 94.3g/km, despite introducing the Forfour model car: a larger vehicle. Felipe Munoz, the global automotive analyst at Jato, said: 'There are a number of reasons for the improvements in CO2 emissions in 2015. The introduction of lighter models, more efficient engines, and increased sales of hybrid and electric vehicles, all contributed to a positive outlook for further emissions reductions in the future.î Norway overtook the Netherlands as the country with the lowest average emissions across Europe: its total decreases from 110.5g/km to 100.5g/km year-on-year.æ The reduction was the largest of any country in the study.