The government has announced that UK taxpayers will not incur higher Vehicle Excise Duty if their existing vehicles are found to be fitted with illegal software that manipulates emissions tests.
Following VW’s admission of using ‘defeat devices’ in diesel cars, there is an ongoing UK government investigation which began last week into the extent of this practice.
The government also announced today the next phase of this investigation which will look at whether the illegal software used by VW is being used elsewhere.
The DfT will work closely with the VCA and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to carry out the programme of tests. Neither cars, nor the testing facilities will be provided by the vehicle industry themselves.
The next phase of the programme will involve initially re-testing diesel cars that VW group has confirmed contain ‘defeat device’ software of Euro 5 category, approved by the VCA, in both a laboratory and real-world setting. These measurements will be used as a benchmark for further testing, with the final programme to be developed.
The government is liaising with other EU countries’ approval authorities who are currently conducting similar investigations. This coordinated approach will improve consistency and enable testing of the widest range of vehicles across Europe.
