Skip to main content

EU passes testing rules to avoid ‘Dieselgate’ repeat

The European Parliament has rubber-stamped new rules following the Volkswagen emissions scandal which seek in part to increase the quality of testing. The idea of the reforms for the type approval process is to ensure that vehicles act on the road in the way that they have been tested in laboratory conditions. The agreement, which has been two years in the making, requires national market surveillance authorities to check 1 in 40,000 vehicles registered in the country the previous year, with at least 20% o
April 24, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The European Parliament has rubber-stamped new rules following the 994 Volkswagen emissions scandal which seek in part to increase the quality of testing. The idea of the reforms for the type approval process is to ensure that vehicles act on the road in the way that they have been tested in laboratory conditions.


The agreement, which has been two years in the making, requires national market surveillance authorities to check 1 in 40,000 vehicles registered in the country the previous year, with at least 20% of tests to be emissions-related. 1816 European Union member states will also have to provide sufficient funds for market surveillance activities and to finance type-approval activities from fees levied on manufacturers.

The 1690 European Commission (EC) will be able to carry out assessments of the procedures put in place by type-approval authorities in member states.

Transport group FIA says greater market surveillance and additional oversight by the EC will act as new checks in the system – although it points out that the revised process “fails to end the direct financial link between testers and vehicle manufacturers”.

However, it believes there will be additional transparency. “European consumers have been let down by the system that was meant to deliver cars that performed as promised in the real world,” says 8054 FIA Region I (Europe, Middle East and Africa) director general, Laurianne Krid. “The new rules should increase checks of vehicles already on the market, thus helping to restore consumer trust and confidence.”

She added: “We now need to see the Commission come forward with a dedicated legislative proposal to ensure cyber security, data protection and fair competition with accessing vehicle data.”

Related Content

  • September 28, 2015
    FIA urges more rigorous vehicle emissions testing
    In light of the VW emissions testing scandal, FIA Region I continues to urge the introduction of a more rigorous testing procedure for vehicle emissions and fuel consumption in the EU. Although vehicles are passing the tests, a growing body of evidence shows that virtually no vehicle, whether diesel or petrol, can comply with emissions levels achieved in testing when in real-world settings. The FIA and its members have consistently supported the introduction of a robust test cycle and real driving emiss
  • September 4, 2018
    ASECAP examines tolling’s trials, tribulations and triumphs
    If you want to get up to speed on the main issues facing the transport sector and tolling companies, ASECAP Study Days event in Ljubljana was a good place to start. Colin Sowman reports (Photographs: Louis David). Increasing populations, ever-higher technical and safety requirements, and electric and hybrid vehicles will provide both challenges and opportunities for tolling companies. The annual Study Days event organised by ASECAP (the European association for tolling companies) examined all of these aspec
  • June 28, 2017
    FIA: EU data protection rules mean drivers control who accesses their car data
    FIA Region I has just released a legal study exploring how the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply to connected car data.
  • November 22, 2018
    European lawmakers agree to improve toll collection rules
    The European Parliament (EP) and European Council (EC) have agreed on rules to improve the tracing of drivers who fail to pay road tolls when travelling within the European Union. The informal agreement is expected to improve information exchange on vehicle data. Additionally, the agreed rules are intended to allow service providers to develop a system which allows drivers to use a single on-board toll payment device when travelling across the EU. Rapporteur Massimilano Salini (European People’s Party