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Volkswagen announces test of five UK models

  • No unlawful change to the stated fuel consumption and CO2 figures
  • Five UK models set to undergo further investigations
  • Certain models could end up in a higher tax band

Written by Parkers Published: 14 December 2015

Volkswagen has announced that the majority of its models correspond with the original CO2 figures following the 2015 emissions scandal.

However, during the internal investigations a total of nine different models were found to deviate from the original CO2 figures, with five of those sold in the UK.

These include the Polo 1-litre TSI BlueMotion DSG Auto, Scirocco 2-litre TDI six-speed manual, Jetta 2-litre TDI five-speed manual, Golf 2-litre TDI six-speed manual and the Passat 2-litre TDI 4Motion DSG Auto.

Re-measurement before Christmas

If models are found to have no deviations from VW’s projected CO2 figures, then they can be sold and marketed by dealers. However if a model has a different CO2 reading then the figures will need to be adjusted, which could potentially raise the model’s tax bracket.

The deviations in CO2 for these models amount to a few grams on average, corresponding to increased fuel consumption in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) of approximately 0.1 to 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres.

These few grams however could be the difference between entire UK tax bands, causing problems for company car drivers.

The Polo plus the 2-litre TDI Golf and Passat produce 94g/km, 109g/km and 139g/km respectively, meaning a potential increase in BIK band. You can learn more about company car tax, and find out what tax bracket your car is in, here.

VW has said that customers’ real-world consumption figures will not change and no technical vehicle modifications are necessary.

Volkswagen’s subsidiaries Audi, Skoda and SEAT have also agreed a similar procedure regarding vehicles suspected to have deviations in the CO2 and fuel consumption figures, with the potential for their models to undergo tax bracket changes also present.

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