UK Volkswagen owners begin fight for ‘dieselgate’ compensation

First major battle in mass litigation brought against VW set to be heard by High Court

UK Volkswagen owners begin fight for ‘dieselgate’ compensation
VW's emissions scandal woes continue.

Tens of thousands of UK motorists who bought VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda diesel cars are taking legal action in the aftermath of the “dieselgate” scandal.

It’s thought it could mark the largest consumer action in English legal history.

VW installed software which was designed to detect when vehicles were being tested and switch engines to a “cleaner mode” in an attempt to cheat clean air laws, meaning the vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide.

Volkswagen has said it will “defend robustly its position”.

The English litigation was filed back in 2016, but has now reached what the claimants’ lawyers have called “a decisive court battle”.

“A decisive court battle”

Gareth Pope, head of group litigation at Slater and Gordon, which represents more than 70,000 of almost 90,000 claimants, said before the start of the hearing: “This trial will establish once and for all whether VW installed prohibited ‘defeat devices’ in affected vehicles and is a significant milestone in our clients’ attempts to hold VW accountable in the UK.

“This is a decisive point for VW.

“For years, the carmaker has deceived its customers, marketing cars as complying with emissions standards while all the time knowing they were emitting many times more than the allowed level of toxic pollutants, perpetrating an environmental and health scandal.

“VW has had plenty of opportunity to come clean, make amends and move on from this highly damaging episode.

“But instead it’s chosen to spend millions of pounds denying the claims our clients have been forced to bring against it rather than paying that to their own customers in compensation.”

Reduced readings of emissions

In 2015, VW admitted 11 million cars worldwide – including 1.2 million in the UK – had software that reduced readings of emissions in tests.

The UK hearing, expected to last two weeks, centres on whether that software constitutes a “defeat device” under EU regulations.

In a statement before the hearing, a VW spokeswoman said: “Volkswagen Group continues to defend robustly its position in the High Court in London.

“It remains Volkswagen Group’s case that the claimants did not suffer any loss at all and that the affected vehicles did not contain a prohibited defeat device.”

Volkswagen has faced a flurry of legal action worldwide, and has been forced to pay out more than €30bn (£26bn) in fines, recall costs and civil settlements.

The carmaker’s current and former senior employees are facing criminal charges in Germany.

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Home Page Forums UK Volkswagen owners begin fight for ‘dieselgate’ compensation

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  • #188826 Reply

    Tens of thousands of UK motorists who bought VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda diesel cars are taking legal action in the aftermath of the “dieselgate” scandal
    [See the full post at: UK Volkswagen owners begin fight for ‘dieselgate’ compensation]

    #188894 Reply
    Graham Bullock
    Guest

    It may be proven that the claimants (vehicle owners) have not suffered any loss, but the government has suffered a loss as the rate of VED paid was substantially less than the rate that should have been paid in regards to the amount of pollutants emmitted from those vehicles. Maybe the government should make a claim!

    #188895 Reply
    Saidy
    Guest

    The truth of the matter is Vw installed a device which is a cheat on emission. This has been an open and shut case in U.S.A. where millions of Vw Car owners received a full compensation. In United States it was the Government that took Vw group to court and rightly so, consequently Vw group paid a hefty fine in billions of dollars and car owners compensated.
    Here in Britain the Government knowingly doesn’t care and not ‘interested’ for political reasons, so the public has to fight the case. How sad.
    The joke is if a small Company installed the Vw software cheat, this would be constituted as breach of Mot emissions regulations. Believe me the Government would have took drastic action with fines.

    #188961 Reply
    Tom
    Guest

    Arguably there is also supporting evidence that all vehicle manufacturers were also using similar devices to falsify emissions or were atleast unable to meet the claimed emissions when tested in the real world driving tests. Yet there is no mention that of the 60 models tested, only 4 actually performed as claimed, the Vauxhall insignia was especially bad but again no action taken against Vauxhall. Volkswagen was caught “first” so they are hung out to dry, hit with the blame while all others get away with it. None of them give a damn about the health concerns associated with vehicle emissions.

    #189032 Reply
    Saidy
    Guest

    When it comes to air pollution and emission irregularities VW group is the worst because they installed 11 million illegal software in order to cheat emission tests and sold the most diesel vehicles. The EU commission is investigating VW,BMW and Daimler for collusion, while executives are being held in prison.
    The U,K VW group motorists have suffered a loss, because unknowing to them an illegal software device was installed. Given the choice would they have bought the car? For the environmentalist this is a serious issue when it comes to clean air.

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