UK government to spend £650k re-testing vehicles affected by dieselgate

According to Transport Minister Andrew Jones, a £650,000 programme has been introduced to re-test cars which were affected by the Volkswagen (VW) emissions scandal.

The sample of cars tested will include vehicles that represent the British car market. It is likely to include the Nissan Qashqai, VW Golfland and Ford Fiesta, with both petrol and diesel models being examined.

The procedure will include a real work element to increase the trust between consumers and the car industry. The UK government is also working closely with the German government to cover more cars and is considering the possibility of collaborating with other countries to expand the measure.

The funding for the project is ultimately coming from taxpayers and none of the money will be recovered from the manufacturers, with the aim of maintaining the scheme’s independence.

A government spokesperson said: “The Volkswagen story has shown how current emissions testing has its limitations. The UK has pushed for change in emissions testing, to bring ‘Real Driving Emissions Testing’ for real-world emissions figures.”

The result of the testing will be published shortly after the programme is completed.

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