Nissan Qashqai and Ford Mondeo ‘top dirty diesels league’

Popular family cars are among the most polluting on the roads.

Tests found diesel models of the Nissan Qashqai, Renault Megane and Ford Mondeo produce up to 12 times more pollutants than regulations allow.

Some of the poorest performers are those with the most up-to-date – and supposedly cleanest – engines, research found.

The findings were published yesterday at the launch of the Allow Independent Road-Testing (AIR) campaign.

It is calling for makers to subject their vehicles to independent ‘real world’ emissions inspections, instead of relying on laboratory-based tests following the VW scandal over diesel engines. The testing system promoted by AIR, developed by British firm Emissions Analytics, rates cars from A to H based on how much they pollute.

The worst H rating means the car is at least 12 times more polluting than the regulations allow. However, some were found to be up to 20 times worse.

The Sunderland-built 2017 1.6-litre diesel Qashqai and the 1.5-litre diesel Nissan Juke both received an H rating. A poor G rating was given to the 1.5-litre diesel Renault Megane and the 2-litre diesel Ford Mondeo. But the latest 3-litre BMW 5 Series and the 4-litre Porsche Panamera SUV both achieve an A rating. The 2-litre Mini hatchback is also top-rated.

The 2-litre diesel Ford Mondeo was given a G rating in the tests that also saw the Renault Megane perform poorly

Tamzen Isacsson, of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, accused AIR of ‘a failure to understand the legal and testing process’.

She said: ‘The new – and legally enforced – EU emissions testing is the toughest in the world and includes robust on-road testing giving consumers one single, independently verified source of information. This will provide hard evidence that industry is delivering on air quality goals.’