Van delivery freight: carbon footprint per tonne-km
Live factor value
0.63511 kgCO2e per tonne-km
Source: UK DESNZ greenhouse-gas conversion factors, 2026 (revision 2). Factor set desnz-2026-r2.
Vans have the highest per-tonne-km factor of any road freight class in the official DESNZ 2026 tables — the live figure is below — because a 3.5-tonne van carries a small payload relative to its own weight, and delivery rounds involve constant stopping.
This is the arithmetic behind 'the last mile is the expensive mile': the final van leg of a parcel's journey can emit more than the hundreds of preceding kilometres in a full HGV or container ship. Consolidated deliveries and fewer, fuller drops are the lever.
Worked example
A 50 kg delivery over 100 km (5 tonne-km): 5 × 0.63511 = 3.2 kgCO2e.
Measure your own with the free freight calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is van freight so much higher per tonne-km than HGV?
- Payload ratio: a van moves a few hundred kilograms of goods with two tonnes of vehicle, while a laden artic moves twenty-plus tonnes. Spread over the cargo, the van's fuel burn is many times higher per tonne-km.