EU emissions testing to get stricter
Emissions testing in the European Union is to get stricter after the recent Volkswagen scandal.
It should mean that motorists buying a car fuelled by diesel will get greater peace of mind that their car meets environmental standards and is not excessively polluting the air.
EU officials say the new tests will reflect real-life road conditions within the next two years. This announcement will make it the first region in the world to implement such rigorous testing regimes, according to Elzbieta Bienkowska, EU Commissioner.
Under these latest standards, carmakers will be given a five-year time-frame to get them near to real-life emissions standards.
New motors will need to get through the test prior to being put in showrooms from 1 September, in two years’ time. The new rules come after the revelations at VW which showed earlier procedures to be flawed.
VW has been hit hard by the emissions scandal as earlier this week the firm announced losses of about £2.5 billion for the July-to-September quarter.
A majority of representatives from the 28 countries passed the new EU emissions tests standards.
This will give carmakers leeway to exceed legal limits until September 2017. This deadline is being extended until two years after that for new cars.
