Diesel vehicles

If you drive a diesel car, you need to take good care of your Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).

Your DPF must regenerate every 300 miles by driving for ten to 20 minutes at 40mph or faster. This heats up the exhaust and burns off the soot in the filter.

Some cars have ‘active regeneration’, adding fuel to raise the temperature, cleaning the filter at lower speeds. But revs still have to stay above 2,000 for around ten minutes.

If your DPF is getting blocked, a warning light will appear on your dashboard. DO NOT IGNORE THIS! Your vehicle will either go into ‘limp’ mode or stop altogether, causing major damage. If the DPF needs removing and cleaning or is replaced and you’ll have to pay for this work.

It will usually look like one of these symbols:

If this light comes on, taking corrective action to clear the DPF is normally simple: driving the vehicle for 10-20 minutes over 40mph in a safe location like lke a dual carriageway. This will normally be enough get the light to turn off follwing regeneration.

DPF’s do a great job in reducing emissions and usually will be problem- free, if you take your vehicle for a long drive every now and again, and you don’t ignore the warning lights.

If you are unsure about DPF’s, please contact your LeasePlan customer service advisor for help.

This stands for Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure and is the testing process standard to measure fuel economy, emissions and EV range.

All cars must go through on a 'rolling road' lab test, playing out an average car journey evaluating:

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  Acceleration

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  Braking

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  When the vehicle is stationary

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  Rolling resistance

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  Air resistance

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  Different engine and gearbox combinations

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  Optional equipment

Electric cars are also put through the same test to work out the WLTP Combined Range' figure.