McLoughlin also continued to press the European Commission to introduce real-world driving emissions tests as soon as possible.
“The needs of consumers must be at the forefront of action to restore public confidence in emissions testing,” stated McLoughlin.
“I have made it clear to Volkswagen that we expect it to support UK owners of vehicles fitted with defeat device software,” he continued.
“The UK government has already announced that owners in Britain will not incur higher vehicle taxes as result of VW’s actions.”
McLoughlin says there now needs to be co-ordinated European work to establish trust in the testing process.
“As I highlighted to the Transport Council, driving emissions tests that reflect real-world performance must be introduced as quickly as possible,” he said.
“In the meantime, I can confirm that the UK has now started its own testing programme. This will get to the bottom of what the situation is for VW Group cars in the UK and ensure we understand the wider implications for other car types to give all consumers certainty.”
The UK will initially re-test Euro 5 category diesel cars previously type-approved by VCA that VW group has confirmed contain ‘defeat device’ software.
This re-testing will involve both laboratory and real-world elements.