26/08/2026
Mmmmmm.
Delete or fix?
🛑Unlimited fines for deferred maintenance and 'deletes'? The DfT is coming for Euro 5 and Euro 6 emissions loopholes.🛑
Yes, the DfT, United Kingdom has opened a major consultation to close a longstanding loophole around in-use vehicle emissions, and the implications for workshops could be massive.
Under current rules (Regulation 61A), ongoing emissions compliance only legally extends to Euro 4 for light vehicles and Euro V for heavy-duty. That means there has been no statutory mechanism under Construction & Use requiring owners to maintain emissions hardware on Euro 5, Euro 6, or Euro VI vehicles once on the road.
The DfT plans to update Regulation 61A using powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988, introducing penalties ranging from £1,000 up to unlimited fines.
What workshops need to know:
👉 The proposed framework makes no distinction between deferred maintenance and deliberate tampering, nor between physical hardware deletes and ECU software remaps.
👉👉DPF gutting/removal, catalytic converter removal, AdBlue/SCR bypasses, and EGR blanking are explicitly classed as unlawful.
👉👉👉The DVSA Market Surveillance Unit will be empowered to target outfits supplying delete files or bypass hardware. While type-approved aftermarket components remain fully lawful, fitting non-compliant parts leaves workshops exposed to prosecution.
👉👉👉👉Legislation is targeted for summer 2027, followed by a six-month transition period before active enforcement begins.
The consultation (In-use emissions of road vehicles: regulating environmental impacts) is open for industry responses until 11:59pm on 6 September 2026.
📲 Download the FREE Garage Matters App to read the full breakdown.
🤔 So, how often do you encounter tampered or deleted emissions systems on the ramp, and will this finally level the playing field against rogue operators? Share your thoughts below.
