Since the new test for particulate filters introduced in July, 8,673 diesel vehicles have been refused, according to figures from the GOCA Flanders federation. This is the case of Peter Nulens, who had his car refused at technical inspection. “I had my particulate filter cleaned, but my car was still refused,” he laments to our colleagues from the Nieuwsblad. “A particulate filter can fail and, like other parts of the vehicle, it is subject to wear. It is therefore not abnormal that a particulate filter must be cleaned or replaced after ten years,” said GOCA Flanders spokesperson Sofie Vanhout, however.
All vehicles of categories M1 (passenger transport) and N1 (goods transport) whose anti-pollution standard is at least Euro 5 are concerned by this new test.
A measurement of less than 250,000 particles/cm3 indicates that the filter is working properly and that the vehicle is in order until the next technical inspection. Between 250,000 and 1,000,000 particles/cm3, a non-penalizing remark is provided and the owner must monitor the operation of the filter and take corrective measures if necessary.
Above 1,000,000 particles/cm3, a red card is issued with a driving ban and the obligation to present the vehicle after repair.
The measure is aimed above all at fraudsters, people who knowingly drive with a defective filter or who remove it. Vehicles emit up to 480 times more particles when filters are damaged, worn out or removed.
According to the authorities, with this new test, Belgium is taking a step ahead of other European countries in terms of detection, and therefore the fight against pollution.