RAC responds to Government plans for emissions testing investigation

RAC chief engineer David Bizley said: “While there is no evidence that other manufacturers have been seeking to defeat emissions tests, news that the Government is launching its own investigation should go some way towards restoring battered consumer confidence.

“The VW revelation is now shining an uncomfortable light on the emissions testing system, parts of which have been recognised for some time by all parties to be well past their ‘sell by’ date.

“A new worldwide test has been in the pipeline for some considerable time, and the expectations are that results will represent real-world driving more closely, but it is unrealistic to think a laboratory test will ever mirror completely a car being driven on a real road by different drivers.

“As this is not due to take effect until 2017 all attention must now be put on ensuring the test cannot be defeated by software so that consumers can be confident in the emissions levels of the vehicles they are buying.”