Were you one of the thousands of UK residents affected by the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal? The claim is now finished. The ramifications of the scandal, however, are still being felt.
For years, Volkswagen lied about the emissions that their cars were releasing into the world by installing a “defeat device” into their cars. This defeat device would trick emissions tests into thinking the emissions were much lower than actual real-world figures showed.
This has led to potential worse fuel economy, more harmful emissions in the environment, and an erosion of trust for a huge car manufacturer
Approximately 1.2 million cars were affected in the UK in a scandal that has since been labelled “dieselgate”.
The claim is now closed.
What was the VW Emissions Scandal?
The dieselgate scandal first hit the headlines in September 2015, when Volkswagen admitted that 11 million vehicles had been installed with a “defeat device” globally. They only admitted this because American regulators had discovered that certain vehicles were fitted with a software that would ensure their diesel engines performed differently when they sensed the car was being tested in a lab.
1.2 million of these vehicles were in the UK, with other VW-owned brands being affected such as Audi, Seat and Skoda.
Tests in the US show that some of these cars emitted almost 40 times the permitted US levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a polluting gas that contributes to respiratory diseases, cancer, acid rain and smog.
In January 2017, the car manufacturer pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the US, with a judge ordering them to pay an eye-watering $2.8 billion fine for “rigging diesel-powered powered vehicles to cheat the emission tests”. As a result of the scandal, VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigned.
Since then, VW has paid out £26 billion in fines and compensation worldwide. Now, the fight is being fought in the UK, for you.
Which cars were affected?
Millions of cars have been affected worldwide, across VW and their wider brand.
The VW NOx Emissions Group Litigation specifically relates to vehicles that:
- Are manufactured by Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT or Skoda
- Are fitted with a 1.2, 1.6, 2.0 litre EA189 Diesel engine
- Manufactured before 2016
How do I begin my VW dieselgate claim?
The Volkswagen Emissions claim is now closed. .
If, however, you bought your car using Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) finance, then you may have a claim for Mis-sold PCP compensation. To read more about this, visit our specialist ClaimExperts Guide here.
The UK Dieselgate Court Cases – A Timeline
7th April 2020 – UK High Court finds that emissions-testing software installed in Volkswagen Group’s vehicles did constitute unlawful “defeat devices” under EU rules. Mr Justice Waksman called some of VW’s defences that the vehicles did not utilise such devices ‘hopeless’, ‘highly flawed’ and ‘completely irrelevant’.
7th August 2020 – Court of Appeal rejects Volkswagen’s appeal, making landmark ruling on Dieselgate. Lord Justice Males states in the Court of Appeal that ‘Mr Justice Waksman’s “defeat device” issue was clearly correct’