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Diesel Particle Filters

One of Europe’s leading fleet management companies is calling for clarity and consistency across the EU and beyond over government and industry advice to businesses about diesel particle filters on company vehicles.

Masterlease, which manages hundreds of thousands of fleet cars in 12 European countries, argues that the wrong advice taken in good faith out of concern for the environment could result in extra costs for business from vehicles being off the road.

The company argues that business drivers in towns and cities should not allow increased demand for diesels with particle filters - that countries including the UK have experienced - influence their choice of cars, as it could ‘backfire’ in terms of vehicle performance and lead to regular returns to the dealerships.

Some European countries, led by the Netherlands, are considering a ban on diesels in urban centres unless they have a particle filter. However, Nick Brownrigg, CEO of Masterlease, says this is at odds with advice currently being given out in the UK by some vehicle manufacturers stating that cars with particle filters are not suitable for urban driving alone. 

“Diesel particle filters work best at high temperatures to ‘regenerate’ or burn off any harmful soot  emissions, and they can only do this if they get regular exposure to the open road at a minimum of 80 kph,” says Nick Brownrigg.

“If urban driving is all you do, the filter will clog up quickly and that will damage the optimum performance on your vehicle and affect your emissions. A light on the dash board will regularly advise you to return to your dealership which means your car regularly being off the road,” he says.

The advice is supported by vehicle manufacturers, one of which has just published a leaflet on particle filters for diesel drivers in which it says: “Some types of use do not ensure the complete regeneration takes place automatically. This will be indicated via the engine warning lights on the dashboard. To complete regeneration, the vehicle must be driven to an average of 80 kph as soon as possible, in accordance with traffic conditions and speed limits. Failure to do so may lead to a second warning signal that will mean the vehicle needs to return to the dealership for a forced regeneration in the workshop.”

Brownrigg adds: “We recommend that if you are about to choose a new company car and are looking at the diesel options, think about your daily journey before making a decision. Equally, fleet managers wanting to comply with the green and MPG regimes may insist upon filtered diesels. Here they should look at the profile of the drivers and make the choice accordingly. This does not prevent the diesel choice, as many cars don’t have filters, but it could explain and reduce the amount of down time your fleet endures in a year which impacts upon the business bottom line.”