Even Regular Vehicles Emit Radiation, Not Just Electric Cars
Discussions about radiation in cars often focus on electric and hybrid models, yet every vehicle with electrical systems produces electromagnetic fields (EMFs). That includes conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles, since modern cars rely extensively on wiring, sensors, control units, and electric motors.
Whenever current flows through a conductor, an electric field and a magnetic field form around it. These belong to the non-ionizing portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, covering frequencies from power lines up through radio waves and visible light.
Extremely low frequency fields occupy the lower end of this spectrum and originate from power systems and vehicle electronics. The National Cancer Institute describes electric and magnetic fields as unseen energy zones that appear anywhere electricity is generated, carried, or used.
Where radiation in regular cars comes from
Standard gasoline or diesel vehicles contain numerous electrical subsystems. Each produces low-frequency magnetic fields whenever current passes through. Typical sources of ELF fields in non-electric cars include:
- The alternator and the charging circuit
- Wiring bundles routed through the dashboard, doors, and floor
- Ignition and engine control units
- Electric pumps, cooling fans, and steering or brake assist motors
- Magnetized tires, which generate slowly varying fields as they rotate
Studies measuring magnetic fields inside vehicles show that transportation is one of the daily settings where people may encounter slightly elevated exposure simply because occupants sit close to current-carrying parts for extended periods.
What measurements show in gasoline and diesel cars
A large 2025 measurement campaign commissioned by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) evaluated magnetic fields in 14 passenger cars:
- 11 fully electric vehicles
- 2 plug-in hybrids
- 1 conventional Opel Corsa with a combustion engine
Over 975,000 individual measurements were taken at the driver, front passenger, and rear seats, mainly at the feet, thighs, and lower torso, under defined driving conditions on a test stand and on a test track.
In the conventional Opel Corsa, driving at constant speed produced the highest exposure indices in the driver’s left foot area. The index based on the ICNIRP 1998 guideline reached about 0.24 of the reference level for the general public at that position, with roughly 0.06 of that value attributable to magnetized tires. At the front passenger seat and the rear left seat, exposure indices stayed below 0.06 and 0.04. On the rear seat, the index of 0.04 in the abdomen and chest region contained a contribution of about 0.03 from tire magnetization.
Looking at peak magnetic flux density values, the same table shows that during constant-speed driving the maximum local peak field in the combustion-engine Opel Corsa was about 19.6 microtesla (µT) at the driver’s feet. For comparison, the electric vehicles in the study showed peaks between roughly 2.7 and 17 µT, while one plug-in hybrid reached about 31 µT under the same type of driving condition.
During acceleration, short spikes increased the exposure indices:
- In the conventional Opel Corsa, the index during acceleration reached up to about 0.8 of the ICNIRP 1998 reference level at the driver’s feet, while braking produced indices up to around 1.1.
- In the otherwise similar Opel Corsa Electric, braking peaks reached about 2.8.
Across all 14 vehicles, the highest index observed during acceleration or braking was 12, found in a plug-in hybrid, while maximum peak fields in that phase ranged from:
- About 5 to 85 µT in the electric cars
- Around 12 µT in one plug-in hybrid
- About 16.6 µT in the conventional Opel Corsa
A different plug-in hybrid showed an isolated peak of about 768 µT at a specific foot position.
The BfS team also looked at magnetic fields from other electrical components that are not part of the drive system. In most vehicles, including the combustion Opel Corsa, switching the vehicle on caused very short magnetic spikes that locally exceeded the ICNIRP reference values. Exposure indices during ignition reached up to about 12 at the driver’s left foot and about 15 at the front passenger’s left foot in some models. In total, 12 of the 14 vehicles showed switch-on indices above 1.0.
Taken together, these measurements confirm that even a regular combustion car produces non-negligible magnetic fields. Most of the time, average cabin levels are modest, but the areas around the driver’s and front passenger’s feet can experience short, sharp peaks during acceleration, braking, or when the vehicle is switched on, and these peaks can approach or locally exceed the reference levels used in international guidelines.
What health authorities say about these fields
Scientific reviews draw a clear line between ionizing radiation such as X-rays, which can harm DNA directly, and non-ionizing fields from power systems or vehicle wiring, which do not carry enough energy to do so directly. The World Health Organization’s Environmental Health Criteria report on extremely low frequency fields summarizes decades of research into the origins, exposures, and possible biological effects of ELF fields, covering cancer, neurological, and reproductive aspects.
A combined review of home-based studies on childhood leukemia found that children chronically exposed to average magnetic fields ≥ 0.4 µT had roughly double the incidence of childhood leukemia compared with those exposed to lower levels. The mechanism remains uncertain, and study bias cannot be excluded. Importantly, this applies to continuous, home-based exposure, not the brief periods experienced during driving.
Power-frequency electromagnetic fields are classified as non-ionizing by public-health bodies such as the National Cancer Institute, meaning they lack the energy to damage DNA directly. Nevertheless, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified ELF magnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) based on epidemiological associations, particularly with childhood leukemia.
Independent expert panels, including the BioInitiative Working Group (2012), have argued that present exposure limits, focused on acute nerve stimulation or heating, may not fully capture potential long-term biological effects, recommending continued research and cautious exposure reduction where feasible..
Why focusing only on electric cars misses the bigger picture
Research often targets hybrids and electric cars because their high-voltage systems and large currents can lead to stronger magnetic fields. Several studies report that in hybrids and some electric vehicles, especially at certain rear seats, a sizable share of measurements exceed 0.2 µT, while averages over all seats remain in the few-hundred-nanotesla range. At the same time, conventional cars are not field-free.
Magnetic fields occur in any vehicle with an engine or electrical circuitry, from tire magnetization to ignition coils and auxiliary motors. A detailed study of electric vehicles, for example, found spectral components from a few hertz up to about 1 kHz, with tire-related fields below 20 Hz occasionally exceeding 2 µT at seat level. Other work and the European Commission Joint Research Centre report show that different drive and auxiliary systems contribute across this low-frequency range.
In practice, magnetic fields inside cars form a spectrum:
- Gasoline and diesel cars often have lower average seat-level fields but can have locally higher spots near the floor, tires, or specific components.
- Hybrids and many electric vehicles tend to show higher averages or more time above 0.2 µT at some seats, and more frequent peaks near high-current cables or power electronics.
Looking only at electric cars hides the wider fact that all modern vehicles generate low-frequency magnetic fields; what changes between models is mainly how strong these fields are and where inside the cabin they are strongest.
References
- National Cancer Institute (2022). Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer
- Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection) (2025). Bestimmung von Expositionen gegenüber elektromagnetischen Feldern der Elektromobilität (Determination of exposure to electromagnetic fields from electromobility).
- International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) (1998). Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying magnetic fields (up to 100 kHz)
- World Health Organization (2007). Extremely Low Frequency Fields: Environmental Health Criteria 238
- Ahlbom A, Day N, et al. (2000). A Pooled Analysis of Magnetic Fields and Childhood Leukemia. British Journal of Cancer
- BioInitiative Working Group (2012). BioInitiative 2012
- European Commission Joint Research Centre (2020). Assessment of Low Frequency Magnetic Fields in Electrified Vehicles