DVSA tests 18 vehicles against Euro 6 and Euro 5 in 2025 emissions programme, names six with no compliance concerns
DVSA's 2025 emissions programme tested 18 cars, vans and motorcycles against European standards, and six named models raised no compliance concerns.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency tested 18 vehicles in its 2025 emissions programme, and for the six models named in its report it found no evidence of breaches of legal emissions requirements.
The results are set out in the Vehicle Market Surveillance Unit emissions testing results for 2025. The unit is part of DVSA, and the report was published on 21 October 2026.
Which vehicles were tested
The programme covered diesel cars, petrol cars, light vans, hybrid cars (also known as self-charging hybrid cars) and motorcycles. DVSA says it aims to check a representative selection of the most popular vehicle types on UK roads.
According to the full results report, vehicles were chosen on UK sales, with others added to ensure a wide range of manufacturers. They were sourced from hire fleets and dealers, not supplied by manufacturers, and makers could not prepare or modify them before testing.
Tests took place at commercial emission test laboratories across the UK. DVSA did not use laboratories owned by vehicle manufacturers.
The standards applied
DVSA says it tested every vehicle to make sure they all conformed to European emission standards, as adopted in GB legislation. The standard differed by vehicle type, as the table shows.
| Vehicle type | Standard applied |
|---|---|
| Cars and vans (light-duty vehicles) | Euro 6 |
| Motorcycles | Euro 5 |
The cars and light vans were type approved using the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test, and were assessed under those regulations. Motorcycles were type approved using the Worldwide Harmonised Motorcycle Test Procedure and assessed accordingly.
How the testing worked
Petrol and diesel cars, hybrids and light vans underwent a laboratory WLTC test, an on-road RDE test with cold start, and a double RDE test back-to-back at 0°C in a laboratory. Motorcycles underwent a laboratory Worldwide Harmonised Motorcycle Test Cycle.
Before testing, each vehicle was checked for defects that could affect its emissions control system. Its fuel was drained and replaced with standard laboratory reference fuel.
Each on-road test involved driving for around 1.5 to 2 hours on public roads. In the report’s words, “All routes included urban, rural and motorway driving, and the tests were carried out during the day and in normal traffic conditions.”
DVSA also explains how it treated cold weather. Below 3°C, results were divided by a factor of 1.6 as ‘extended’ conditions. The report says that “For transparency reasons, in this report ‘raw’ RDE results have not been post-processed and have not had additional factors such as the extended conditions factor applied.”
What the report says about named models
For the Renault Trafic, Skoda Kodiaq, Dacia Duster and KIA Stonic, DVSA uses the same wording. It says: “From the results of both legislative and non-legislative testing, DVSA does not have reason to believe that the [vehicle] tested was non-compliant with its legal emissions performance requirements.”
The BMW 118i and the Fiat 500x went further on the legislative tests. DVSA says each “was compliant with all required tailpipe pollutant emission limits under the Worldwide Harmonised Test Cycle (WLTC) and Real Driving Emissions (RDE) legislative tests.”
The material available covers these six models, so it does not set out a count of conforming vehicles across all 18, nor results for the remaining twelve. The report says manufacturers of vehicles found to have performed poorly were given the opportunity to explain the results and describe their emission control strategies.
Part of a wider surveillance programme
The emissions work sits alongside other checks by the unit. A separate programme results report covers testing of driver assistance systems, catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters, e-scooters, tyres and other products. DVSA states there is a different report on the 2025 emissions testing programme.
Emissions checks of this kind form part of motoring regulation in Great Britain, where the Market Surveillance Unit inspects vehicles, trailers and equipment to make sure they meet safety and environmental standards.
