New scheme to rate cars on real-world air pollution impact

Responding to today’s (29 March) announcement that the Mayors of London and Paris are introducing a scheme to rate cars based on their real-world emissions and impact on air quality, Oliver Hayes, Friends of the Earth’s air pollution campaigner, said:

“Since the dieselgate scandal, many drivers feel rightly let down by manufacturers and unable to trust their claims about toxic emissions. So decisions about what to drive next will be massively improved by a simple, independent scoring system like the one announced today by Mayors Khan and Hidalgo.

“For drivers who can’t get out of cars altogether and into clean public transport, that choice should also be guided by two very clear principles: don’t buy another diesel, and do if at all possible buy an electric or a petrol-hybrid.

“For many this remains easier said than done, not least because vehicle tax is structured to incentivise diesels. This must be reformed, and a carefully designed diesel scrappage scheme also introduced.

“But if more European cities follow the lead of Madrid, Paris, Athens and Barcelona by announcing diesel bans in the 2020s, the transition to clean, green transport will be all the swifter.” 

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