European Commission wants to outlaw Euro 5 diesels, leaving millions of Europeans stranded

Millions of European motorists could soon find themselves stranded, and credit, as usual, goes to the European Commission. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has sounded the alarm: a new interpretation of the European Union’s pollution limits could lead to the blocking of eight million diesel vehicles in Germany alone. Obviously, this new, more restrictive interpretation is part of the price the Commission has to pay its green allies.

German minister’s concern

In a letter addressed to the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Wissing asked for urgent clarification of an ongoing case at the European Court of Justice. The case stems from a preliminary ruling by the Duisburg Regional Court, which concerns emission limits for Euro 5 diesel vehicles. According to EU regulations, pollutant values for Euro 5 must be met under Nedc test conditions, which are monitored at test centers.

But for new vehicles approved from the “Euro 6 d temp “standard onward, introduced in September 2017, the Rde procedure, which also considers real-world driving conditions, is in effect. Applying the new standards to cars registered under the previous criteria would almost certainly outlaw them.

Euro 5 diesels are many German cars still on the road, about 10 years old, such as the Audi 4 and VW Golf and Jetta, just to name a few well-known names.

The new EU directives

Wissing expressed concern that the EU Commission seems to want to apply emission limits outside of standard operating conditions, including extreme driving situations such as fully loaded on steep slopes. According to the minister, this interpretation would be technically impractical for vehicles currently on the road and could invalidate all Euro 5 permits, possibly affecting Euro 6 vehicles as well.  However, the Commission has to pay its price to the Greens, and it will try to do so on the skin of European citizens.

A crisis is brewing

In Germany, this scenario could result in the grounding of 4.3 million Euro 5 diesel vehicles and possibly 3.9 million Euro 6 vehicles. At the European level, more than 50 million Euro 5 and 6 diesel vehicles would be affected, or 48.6 percent of the total 105 million.

According to a 2023 Acea report, based on 2021 data, there are about 250 million passenger vehicles on the road in Europe, 42 percent of which are diesel. Among the 36 million commercial vehicles, the proportion of diesels rises to 90 percent. It was seen, however, that with new registrations, the share of diesel is declining: as of June 2024, it accounted for 12.7 percent, while battery electric cars were 14.4 percent, plug-ins 6.1 percent, and hybrids 29.5 percent