With the more stringent acceptable emissions limits for engines and the greater search for more energy efficient vehicles, novel strategies must be employed. One of them is HCCI combustion. This method, although not new, is still under development and presents some technological challenges. It offers, however, excellent potential results. A drive cycle comparison of a passenger car running with and without this technology is performed, showing the potential changes and the possibility to comply with new and tighter emissions standards. A commercial simulation software was employed for the vehicle simulation whereas engine data was experimentally obtained and included in the model to evaluate the changes on emissions and fuel consumption of a passenger car running the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) when using the HCCI engine configuration. Results show remarkable reduction in both fuel consumption and NOx emissions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.