An air-pollution preventive arrangement for use with an internal combustion engine for motor vehicles, adapted to reduce the concentrations of noxious compounds such as unburned hydrocarbons and carbonmonoxides contained in the engine exhaust gases. The arrangement comprises a thermal reactor for primarily re-combusting the exhaust gases and a catalytic converter for secondarily recombusting the exhaust gases passed from the thermal reactor so as to oxidize the residual unburned compounds. An air injection unit supplies additional air which is admixed, in a limited proportion, to the exhaust gases entering the thermal reactor to aid in the primary re-combustion of the exhaust gases therein. The noxious unconsumed hydrocarbons and carbon-monoxides are thus converted into innocuous compounds at efficiencies which are far higher than those attained where the thermal reactor or the catalytic converter is employed independently. Such additional air may also be admixed to the exhaust gases entering the catalytic converter which is located downstream of the thermal reactor, whereby the re-combustion efficiencies of the reactor and converter are maintained at high levels throughout varying driving conditions of the motor vehicle. The arrangement may also comprise a second catalytic converter which is adapted to reduce nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases.