"It's vital that the public has confidence in vehicle emissions tests and I am calling for the European Commission to investigate this issue as a matter of urgency," Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said in a statement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had said on Friday that Volkswagen had used software that deceived regulators measuring toxic emissions and could face penalties of up to $18 billion.

(Reporting by Angus Berwick; editing by Kate Holton)