VW unveils €6,500 scrappage scheme if drivers axe older diesel vehicles

Volkswagen is enticing Irish drivers to trade in their old diesel models with incentives of up to €6,500 to buy a new car.

The VW Group Ireland offer applies to new petrol or diesel and plug-in hybrid and fully electric models across the VW, Audi, Seat, and Skoda ranges.

VW Group Ireland said the new Audi, Seat, Skoda, and Volkswagen petrol and diesel vehicles meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards, which are the most stringent yet.

Vehicles traded in will be scrapped to ensure a “positive impact on the environment”, according to VW Group Ireland.

Irish drivers with pre-Euro 5 emissions standards — up to 2009/10 — must order before the end of the year for the incentives to apply.

VW is also offering trade-in incentives in the UK, where the registration of new cars fell for the fourth month in a row.

Toyota and Nissan followed suit, offering scrappage incentives on their own range of cars.

The parent VW company is still recovering from a diesel emissions scandal, where the German carmaker admitted that it manipulated engine software on diesel cars in order to mask emissions in pollution tests.

The backlash against diesel vehicles since the scandal has led to a number of countries announcing future bans.

The UK followed France last month when it announced the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles will be banned from 2040.