Manufacturers are cutting service intervals for cars with diesel engines following the introduction of WLTP, potentially increasing costs for fleets, according to SMR company Fleet Assist.

On a typical three-year/60,000-mile or four-year/80,000-mile contract, it says a diesel car is likely to require one additional service.

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Fleet Assist says service interval reductions vary across manufacturers, but they are typically around 2,000 to 5,000 miles, although on some models it has seen an 8,000 mile reduction.

According to Fleet Assist, the reductions are due to WLTP-related changes placing increased strain on engines, resulting in a cut in the maximum oil change interval.

Petrol cars do not appear to be affected, as they use different after-treatment systems.

Fleet Assist head of network and technical services Chris Crow said: "Manufacturers are adopting different strategies with regards to vehicle service intervals post-WLTP regulation testing and that information is gradually bring provided to us.

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"Nevertheless, a clear general trend is emerging and that is that some diesel cars – as well as vans as they become subject to WLTP testing – look as though they will require more frequent servicing typically due to greater oil use.

"That will inevitably impact on fleet servicing costs and trigger a rise in vehicle whole-life costs.

"Given the variability of service intervals across vehicle manufacturers and the influence of condition-based servicing, it is yet another issue that fleet decision makers and maintenance managers in contract hire and leasing companies must feed into the WLTP-influenced decision-making process when selecting new vehicles."