Executives at the giant Wolfsburg company decided Volkswagen would be the world's first car manufacturer to make the switch after finding recycled oil proved a match for new in an exhaustive series of in-house tests for quality, endurance and performance.

Now the company is urging its dealers worldwide to carry substantial stocks of recycled oil and work to persuade both fleet and private motorists to steer clear of new oil when they take their cars in for servicing.

In the world's biggest engine plant at Salzgitter and a sister factory at Chemnitz, near Wolfsburg, VW builds up to 7,000 petrol and diesel units in four, five and six-cylinder configurations each working day. It is thought that giving the engines their first fill accounts for an average 17,500 litres of oil.