Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
You drive a Diesel car registered between the years 2011 and 2015. You need to be aware of something.
Your car may be at risk of being targeted by Europe’s latest crackdown on emissions.
According to a Spanish outlet, a new ITV protocol (Vehicle Technical Inspection), is being implemented across Spain. It could be in effect soon. Motor 16. This new rule could force thousands of cars to be taken off the road.
Europe tightens its noose around diesel cars
The EU has been targeting diesel engines for a long time, and is now stepping up enforcement with stricter vehicle inspections.
What is the main target? What is the main target?
Diesel particulate filter (DPF) are required since 2009 but many of these vehicles have malfunctioning or no filters. These “invisible” modifications, whether due to deliberate removal or wear and tear or tampering by the owner, allowed many cars pass ITV without detection.
Until now.
New ITV Protocol
Spain is about to adopt the more advanced testing methods already used by countries like Germany and Switzerland.
This system tests whether the DPF is working or not, and does not only check that it has been installed.
How it works is that a particle counter measures the suspended particles in a cubic centimetre of air over ten seconds when your diesel engine is running. If you exceed the limit, your vehicle will fail, even if everything looks and sounds normal.
A blocked, tampered or missing filter won’t go unnoticed. This could be the end for many diesels, even if they are still functional.
Fix it or Lose It
You’ll have to make a difficult decision if your vehicle fails the test.
You can try to reinstall a functioning DPF (if one is available). For many older models, there are no new filters available, and used options may not be legal or reliable. You may have to pay a large amount of money for a replacement filter. It could even be more than the car’s value.
In Germany, alone, more than 500,000 diesel vehicles have been removed from the road under similar regulations. Spain may soon follow suit.
Insurance Warning
It gets worse. Driving with a DPF missing or disabled could be considered not only a problem of ITV, but also technical negligence.
If you are involved in an accident, it is possible that your insurance company will refuse to pay out or may reduce the amount of compensation. This could happen if there has been a tampering with emissions.
What is the future of older diesels?
This new testing layer is part of an overall European push to phase-out diesel engines. Even if you passed the test today Low Emission Zones are tightening their restrictions in major cities, making it difficult for older diesel cars (and, soon, impossible to enter urban areas)
What was once a durable, budget-friendly car could now be a stranded vehicle with no future in Europe.
