Car firms to face huge fines for emissions cheating

CAR-makers that cheat emissions tests face multi-million-pound fines in future, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the Volkswagen scandal.

Ministers will launch a consultation today aimed at closing a ‘huge hole in the law’ that allowed the German car giant to escape prosecution in this country.

New powers would enable courts to press criminal charges against manufacturers that fit ‘defeat devices’ to their vehicles or find other ways to cheat tests designed to cut toxic emissions. Crucially, the powers would cover any firm that imports noncompliant vehicles to the UK.

Those found guilty could face unlimited fines, depending on the scale of the offence. Transport minister Jesse Norman said: ‘We continue to take the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously, and we are framing new measures to crack down on emissions cheats in future. Those who cheat should be held to proper account in this country, legally and financially, for their actions.’ The move comes days after VW faced fresh outrage over revelations it had funded experiments testing the health effects of diesel fumes on monkeys.

VW was at the centre of a global scandal in 2015 when it emerged it had been using ‘defeat devices’ to cheat toxic emissions tests, contravening a ban from 1998.

It faces fines and damages running into billions of dollars in the United States but escaped prosecution in the UK despite 1.2million vehicles here being affected.

The consultation will also propose a series of other measures to boost consumer protection and improve air quality.

They include improving the environmental performance of specialist vehicles, such as those used in the construction industry, and a crackdown on car dealers who sell stock that does not meet emissions standards. New cars also face ‘more rigorous’ tests on fuel emissions figures.