VW dealers give out wrong safety ratings

VOLKSWAGEN customers are being misled over the safety ratings of some vehicles, it has been revealed. An investigation by Channel 4’s

found that some dealers were claiming that the current VW Polo has a five star score for safety, when the rating has in fact expired.

An undercover reporter was falsely told by one salesman that the model had been tested in 2014, meaning that Polos from 2015 and 2016 “absolutely” had the highest European New Car Assessment Programme safety score.

However, in the seven years since the rating was first awarded the test has become more rigorous, meaning the car would need to have more safety features to receive the same score today.

The programme, to be shown tomorrow at 8pm, found that six out of the eight franchised dealerships they visited gave them the wrong information. Steve Fowler, the editor of

said: “You’re trusting these people; you’re spending an awful lot of money. This is the second biggest purchase you’ll ever make and they are giving you wrong information.”

A spokesman for Volkswagen said that they would improve staff training “in relation to communication of the latest safety developments”.

They added that the company “regrets that the small number of dealer staff involved in this covert filming did not appropriately check and communicate that the five star rating of the Polo had expired”.