Jaguar Land Rover has been forced to recall more than 44,000 cars for repairs after UK regulators found some models were emitting more carbon dioxide than previously thought.

The Vehicle Certification Agency found 10 models for the Land Rover and Jaguar brands were emitting more greenhouse gases than had been certified initially. JLR then informed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which handles recalls, of the findings.

Britain’s largest carmaker will have to carry out free repairs on the models.

JLR’s cars “may emit excessive levels of CO₂ and may not conform with the certified condition”, according to the European commission’s rapid alert system.

Recalls of cars to fix safety defects happen fairly often, but full product recalls because of exhaust emissions are rare. It is thought to be the first carbon dioxide-related recall for JLR.

It will affect versions of the Land Rover Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Velar and Evoque made between 2016 and 2019. Jaguar models affected include the E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type, XE and XF. Petrol and some diesel models will be part of the recall.

The repairs could include software updates as well as physical alterations, and some Range Rover Evoque models will need new tyres, a JLR spokesperson said.

Vehicle emissions have come under increased scrutiny in recent years following Volkswagen’s diesel scandal, in which it was found to have installed software to trick emissions tests.

At the same time, international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has prompted multiple governments to announce plans to ban the sale of new fossil fuel-powered cars, with the UK to do so from 2040.

European manufacturers are under pressure to reduce the average emissions of their new cars from 118.5g of CO₂ per kilometre to less than 95g by 2021.

Neil Barlow, DVSA’s head of vehicle engineering, said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles. This includes vehicles that are damaging our environment.”

JLR’s recall is not expected to have a material impact on the company’s finances, but comes at a challenging time for the carmaker. JLR posted a record quarterly loss in February and announced about 4,500 job cuts the previous month.

In a statement, JLR said: “Affected vehicles are being rectified to ensure the correct CO₂ performance is dependably achieved. The modifications made to affected vehicles will be made free of charge and every effort will be made to minimise inconvenience to the customer during the short time required for the work to be carried out.”