Transport Secretary confirms real-world driving tests for diesel cars
News
9 Oct 2015
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has confirmed that the UK will start a programme of re-testing diesel cars in real world conditions.
The new plans come in the wake of the VW emissions scandal, where the company was caught using illegal ‘defeat’ software to cheat emissions tests for their diesel engines.
The UK will now administer their own testing programme, with the aim to protect the interests of UK consumers.
Following a meeting of European transport ministers, McLoughlin said: “The needs of consumers must be at the forefront of action to restore public confidence in emissions testing. I have made it clear to Volkswagen that we expect it to support UK owners of vehicles fitted with defeat device software. The UK government has already announced that owners in Britain will not incur higher vehicle taxes as result of VW’s actions.
“There now needs to be co-ordinated European work to establish trust in the testing process. As I highlighted to the Transport Council, driving emissions tests that reflect real-world performance must be introduced as quickly as possible.
“In the meantime, I can confirm that the UK has now started its own testing programme. This will get to the bottom of what the situation is for VW Group cars in the UK and ensure we understand the wider implications for other car types to give all consumers certainty.
“I have also today repeated my call for a Europe-wide investigation into the use of ‘defeat devices’, in parallel to the work we are doing in the UK.”
The UK will initially test Euro 5 category diesel cars that the VW Group has confirmed contain the defeat software, with tests involving both laboratory and real world elements.
