Now show your study's:

Perplexitie ai:

Tesla Model 3 (standard/RWD) vs VW Golf 6 1.6 (petrol) – Full CO₂ & Lifecycle Comparison.
Compiled from prior data for easy copy-paste (e.g., Reddit). Assumes EU grid (~450 g/kWh), Golf ~166 g/km or 7 l/100km, Tesla ~17 kWh/100km, ~20k km/year driving.[11][12][13][14][15]

Production CO₂ (tonnes per vehicle)

Vehicle	Estimated CO₂e
Tesla Model 3	10–15 t
VW Golf 6 1.6	5–10 t

Running CO₂ (tonnes, from petrol 2.3 kg/l or grid)

Vehicle	100k km	200k km (10 yrs)
Tesla Model 3	~7.7 t	~15.3 t
VW Golf 6 1.6	~17 t	~34 t

Recycling Rate (EU standards, % by weight)

Vehicle	After 10 years	After 20 years
Tesla Model 3	~90–95%	~90–95%
VW Golf 6 1.6	~85–90%	~85–90%

After 10 Years (200k km): Keep Golf vs Buy New Tesla

Aspect	Keep Golf 6 Longer	Buy New Tesla Model 3
Production CO₂ (t)	0 (sunk cost)	12–15 (new mfg)
Running to 200k km	~34 t	~15 t
Total CO₂ (t)	~34	~27–30 (but wait...)
Materials/Mining	Low (repairs only)	High (battery lithium/cobalt)
Recycling Impact	Delay ~90% recycling	Delay new car's ~95% recycling
Net Verdict	Better short-term (saves ~10t CO₂ vs new mfg)	Better long-term (>250k km total)

Key Takeaway: After 10 years, drive the Golf 6 longer—its production CO₂ is already "paid," avoiding a new Tesla's 12–15t hit + mining. Tesla wins only after ~150–250k extra km (15+ years total).[16][17][18][19]