Volkswagen emissions scandal: 1.2 million UK vehicles affected, company admits

Volkswagen initially said that 11 million vehicles were affected

Volkswagen has said that over a million UK vehicles are affected (AP)

Volkswagen has said that almost 1.2 million Volkswagen vehicles in the UK are affected by the diesel emissions scandal, according to reports.

Volkswagen initially said that 11 million vehicles were affected globally by software that affected diesel emissions differently in test scenarios to on the road.

These are the specific numbers of cars affected under each brand in the UK, according to the BBC:

• Volkswagen cars 508,276
• Audi 393,450
• Seat 76,773
• Skoda 131,569
• VW commercial vehicles 79,838

Total 1,189,906

The company has said it is already working to recall and refit affected vehicles following the appointment of a new CEO, Matthias Muller, last week. Owners will be contacted after Volkswagen has issued licence plate details to retailers.

Lawyers have urged Volkswagen to 'come clean' about how many UK vehicles are affected. On Monday, Bozena Michalowska-Howells, partner at law firm Leigh Day, said: “Our clients still do not know definitively whether cars in the UK are affected, and if so which models. They do not know whether the car they are driving is indeed emitting 40 times the legal emissions limit, as has been suggested, nor do they know whether their cars will be recalled to bring them into the line with EU regulations.”

The resale value of Volkswagen cars has already slipped 0.2 per cent in the face of the scandal, according to some estimates.