Online Cleaner Vehicle Checker launched in London

The Mayor of London has launched an online Cleaner Vehicle Checker that will provide an independent rating of nearly all new Euro 6 standard cars and many vans being sold in the UK showrooms. 

The checker is designed to provide with a way of knowing whether a vehicle is performing as intended when driven in ‘real world’ conditions. 

The checker can be accessed at www.london.gov.uk/cleaner-vehicle-checker 

Consumers type in details of a new vehicle model to find out how it performed in the independent tests. The type of car Londoners choose to buy can make a big difference to the level of pollution in the capital. The Cleaner Vehicle Checker will rate new (Euro 6 standard cars) on a scale of A+ (best) to H (worst) based on the level of NOx emissions they produce on the road. 

London’s businesses and local authorities will also be able to use a customised ‘Fleet Check’ service to learn more about the emissions performance of their car and van fleets. By providing details online, operators can identify their most polluting vehicles and consider ways to replace these with much cleaner options as part of their procurement. 

The Cleaner Vehicle Checker forms part of the Mayor’s plans to tackle London’s toxic air quality, which include the new £10 toxicity charge (T-Charge), which was introduced alongside the Congestion Charge in central London from Monday 23 October.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The Cleaner Vehicle Checker will help provide the accurate and independent information Londoners need to make informed choices and opt for cleanest vehicles. This scheme shows how the combined efforts of academic, engineering and health experts can join together to help consumers and ultimately help improve air quality.”  

Vehicles will be subjected to independent emissions tests provided by Emissions Analytics through Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) through roadside testing to scrutinise the performance of vehicles. 

Emissions Analytics is a vehicle testing company that has developed the EQUA Index database of ‘real world’ emissions based on urban driving environments for the majority of new cars sold in the UK, France and other European countries. It has conducted extensive ‘real world testing’ on around 900 models of vehicles in Europe.

Nick Molden, chief executive officer of Emissions Analytics, said: “The decision to use PEMS and real-world emissions data to identify the genuinely cleanest cars is a hugely important step in tackling the issue of urban air quality. London is leading the way in taking this common-sense approach and the EQUA Index ratings, as part of the Cleaner Vehicle Checker, will help car buyers make informed decisions, rather than simply replying on inaccurate official figures.”

ICCT is the organisation that revealed that Volkswagen had used so-called ‘defeat devices’ to pass official emissions tests. It is recognised as an international leader in vehicle emissions testing. Drew Kodjak, executive director of ICCT said: “London’s action to publicise the real-world emissions of the vehicles being driven on their streets should inspire other cities as they battle the same urban air quality issues. Our collaboration with FIA Foundation, C40 Cities and others on in-use emissions measurement and reporting in The Real Urban Emissions (TRUE) initiative will bring an unprecedented and badly needed transparency to this critical environmental and public health issue.”

The launch of the checker coincides with a roadside testing programme in partnership with the TRUE Initiative (whose members include the FIA Foundation and ICCT), which will monitor emissions from older cars currently driven on London’s roads. This data will be used to create a further ‘Used Vehicle Checker’ function in 2018.

Sheila Watson, deputy director of the FIA Foundation, said: “Our Real Urban Emissions Initiative (TRUE) is an open, transparent and innovative way to build picture of the real toxicity of vehicles on our city’s streets. This information is essential if consumers are to make informed choices and policymakers are to improve the impact of these vehicles on the health of everyone who breathes London’s air.”

Cllr Julian Bell, chair of London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee, said: “Given the seriousness of air pollution in London and with the introduction of the T-Charge coming on 23 October, it is important that London’s residents and businesses are supported to make decisions with the most up-to-date data sets that have been independently verified when looking to buy new vehicles. Air pollution is a public health crisis and we collectively need to clean London’s vehicles to start tackling this.”

Mayor of Paris and chair of C40, Anne Hidalgo, said: "London, Paris and every city around the world are facing an air pollution crisis, which is a major public health crisis. Our citizens demand urgent action to clean the air that they breathe.”