The start of September will mark the beginning of new emissions tests which vehicles will need to pass in order to be considered road legal.

The new test will involve a 90 minute ‘real world’ driving test. According to the government, the test will recreate a mix of urban, countryside and motorway driving.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

This is opposed to the lab testing conditions previously used, which involved the use of a rolling road.

The move comes as part of European-wide reforms, which will also see nitrogen oxide emissions requirements for all new car models made stricter from 1 September 2020.

Transport minister Paul Maynard said: “We are taking strong action to clean up our air and these tough new emissions standards will reduce dangerous pollutants.

This government has led the way in Europe pushing for on-road emissions tests, alongside a tough new laboratory test, to clean up air in our towns and cities.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

This will ensure all vehicles meet rigorous standards when driven on our roads – and we are going even further tightening requirements again in 2020.”

Old failings

The move came after a number of manufacturing groups were found to have manipulated the old style of emissions tests in various countries.

The most well know example of this was Volkswagen Group’s use of defeat devices in the US. These devices detected when the vehicle as running on a rolling-road in a lab, as opposed to a real road, and altered the vehicle’s engine behaviour.

A UK government diesel testing programme in 2016 found that today’s Euro 6 diesel cars were emitting 6 times more nitrogen dioxide in the real world than in the lab.

The government has promised that, under the reforms, now they will have to slash those emissions by two thirds – helping clean up air in towns and cities across Britain.