Car wash opt-out gives Volkswagen Group customers the choice to be clean or green!

• Volkswagen Group is giving customers the option to plant a tree instead of having their car washed
• Sustainable option designed to reduce carbon emissions and conserve water
• ‘Green’ option now available at over 150 retailers across Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Škoda and SEAT/CUPRA brands

Milton Keynes, 17 March 2026 – Volkswagen Group is encouraging customers to be ‘green rather than clean’ as part of the expansion of an initiative to swap the standard post-service wash and vacuum for planting a tree. More than 150 retailers from 21 investors across the Group’s Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Škoda and SEAT/CUPRA brands are offering the car wash opt-out as an option at their sites. Since January 2025, five million gallons of water have been saved and over 45,000 trees planted. 

A number of investor groups, including JCT600 and Yeomans, are pioneering the initiative and the results are positive with around a quarter of customers are happy to swap their car wash for tree planting. Volkswagen Group is working with Ecologi, an organisation which aims to inspire and empower businesses to accelerate global climate action, to undertake high-quality tree planting and sustainable projects across the globe.

Jaspal Toor, Aftersales Propositions Manager at Volkswagen Group UK, said: “We’re really pleased to be expanding our car wash swap for customers. We know that sustainability expectations influence customer decisions, from choice of car brand and model, through to aftersales. In fact, our research shows 86 per cent of customers say they would change brands to achieve a more sustainable aftersales choice, so we know environmentally conscious decisions extend beyond the vehicle purchase stage, and driver better customer satisfaction. Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions, conserve water, and offer sustainability-conscious customers a greener choice.”

Volkswagen Group retailers currently use more than 200 million gallons of water on car washes per year, equating to over 300 metric tonnes of CO₂e. The initiative has so far saved five million gallons of water resulting in an estimated reduced CO₂e impact of 6 metric tonnes. Car wash swap is just one of many ‘goTOzero’ initiatives aimed at minimising the impact of our operations on the environment.

To find out more or locate your nearest Volkswagen Group retailer, please visit the brand’s websites:

Volkswagen UK | The official Volkswagen website

Škoda UK | The Official Škoda Website

A Lifestyle and Sports Car Brand with a Passion for Racing | CUPRA

VW Vans & Commercial Vehicles | Volkswagen UK

(ends)

Kate Thompson
Volkswagen Group UK
Head of Corporate Communications
+44 (0) 7713 265562
kate.thompson@vwg.co.uk | www.volkswagengroup.co.uk

Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Ltd
Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group (see below), and is the importer of Audi, SEAT, CUPRA, Škoda cars as well as Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The company directly employs over 850 people in the UK, while a further 25,000 work indirectly for the group, employed by its associated businesses which include retail networks, logistics, customer services and financial services.
In 2025 the Group registered 437,255 passenger cars, achieving a market share of 21.6 per cent, plus a further 35,839 vans and pick-ups, through our network of around 600 retailers. It is the UK’s leading automotive Group.

Volkswagen Group
The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's leading car makers, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. It operates globally, with 111 production facilities in 16 European countries and 10 countries in the Americas, Asia and Africa. With around 663,000 employees worldwide, the Group’s vehicles are sold in over 150 countries.
With a comprehensive portfolio of strong global brands, leading technologies at scale, innovative ideas to tap into future profit pools and an entrepreneurial leadership team, the Volkswagen Group is committed to shaping the future of mobility through investments in electric and autonomous driving vehicles, digitalisation and sustainability. The goal: As a “Global Automotive Tech Driver”, to make the best automotive technologies accessible to customers worldwide - from entry-level mobility to the luxury segment.
In 2025, the total number of vehicles delivered to customers by the Group globally was 9.0 million (2024: 9.0 million). Group sales revenue in 2025 totaled EUR 321.9 billion (2024: EUR 324.7 billion).