Okay, here’s the first things you need to know about why you should sign up to a claim:
- It’s no-win, no-fee, so won’t cost you anything
- It only like 60 seconds to find out if you’re eligible, then a couple more minutes to sign up
- You could end up with up to £16,000 in compensation!
- You do not have to have bought the car brand new, if you owned one of these cars (even if second hand) that were manufactured between 2008 and 2020 then you might be entitled to compensation
- The first big case is to be held in October 2025, so you have a limited time to sign up
In this article I’ll explain what the scandal was, why you may be entitled to compensation and why it’s important to sign up before October 2025!
What is the diesel scandal a.k.a. Dieselgate?
Okay, you may remember hearing about this in the news, but in 2015 (yes, ages ago) it came to light that Volkeswagen had been cheating on a emissions tests for diesel cars that they were producing. They used things called ‘defeat devices’ which are tools (can be any hardware or software) that are designed to make it look like the emissions of a car are lower than they actually are. As an example (this is not a real thing they did, I’ve made this up) but imagine someone putting a filter over an exhaust before testing the emissions, and the filter is only designed to last for like a week, so at the point of testing the car looks like it hits the low-emissions regulations, but by the time you’ve bought the car it’s emitting high emissions. This is what ‘Dieselgate’ is.
VW admitted to doing this in 2015, but it has affected millions of diesel cars worldwide that were made between 2008 and 2020. Since VW admitted to using these devices, a dozen other manufacturers have been accused of using similar technology, including Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Fiat Chrysler, Renault, Peugeot and Citroën.
So why might I be entitled to compensation?
There is a huge number of legal cases being pursued against these car manufacturers for compensation for lying. Effectively, the legal claims are that cheating on these emissions tests could have caused damage to owners of these cars in the following ways:
- You may have been tricked into purchasing a diesel vehicle that said it was low-emission for fuel-efficient, but it really wasn’t
- These vehicles can emit illegal amounts of nitrogen oxide, which is dangerous to the environment and to public health
- As a result of these issues, you could have incurred financial damages such as lower resale value, higher upkeep costs and reduced fuel efficiency.
Because of these costs to consumers, a number of legal companies have gathered together groups of claimants and are filing huge lawsuits against the car manufacturers with the aim of gaining compensation for their customers.
One case has kind of been won. In May 2022, VW Group decided to settle one group-action legal dispute out of court, but agreeing to pay £193m for 90,000 claimants, which is roughly £2,100 per claimant. Some people would have got more than others in this settlement, and that is before the legal fees came out, but as it was the first of its kind and was settled out of court, many legal companies are expecting bigger payouts to come.
What’s the catch and what should you look out for?
The main catch is the cost of winning. As with all no-win, no-fee cases, there’s nothing to pay if you lose. However, if you win then the legal firm that’s handled the case will take a significant chunk of your winnings. Most firms appear to be taking between 33% and 50% of the winnings, so if you did win £16,000 you would likely walk away with somewhere between £8,000 and £10,667 roughly.
That being said, apart from answering a few questions and proving you owned certain vehicles that were built in the years 2008 and 2020, you shouldn’t have a lot of work to do to get in on a group action legal claim, you just click the button below and check your license plates.
If you owned multiple vehicles that fit the description, you can claim for each vehicle. Simply put in the registration of each vehicle and, if eligible, you’ll be given options to sign up for available group action legal cases.
Important: Make sure you ask about After The Event insurance (ATE insurance). All companies should have this, but it’s worth checking. This is HIGHLY improbable, but it is technically possible that a court could find in favour of the manufacturer and then all of the defendants of the case may be liable for the legal costs of the manufacturer. This is what ATE insurance covers, to make sure it doesn’t actually come out of your pocket, so just make sure to ask the legal firm if they have sufficient ATE insurance. As I said, it’s unlikely this will ever happen, but as it is possible it is best to be safe.
How do I check if I’m eligible to join one of these suits?
The links in this article take you to claimformycar.com. From there, it’s easy to join the 1,000s of people in these group legal suits. The website will find out in 30 seconds if any of your vehicles are eligible and will then lead you to a short sign-up form which notes down your details and allows the legal companies to get in contact with you and start your claim.
The first big trial, against Mercedes, Ford, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault and Citreon, has a court date for October 2025, so getting on to the claim is time limited. We are expecting to hear the outcome of this in early 2026, but the court will decide whether these companies broke the law and whether defendants are entitled to compensation.
So act fast and see if you’re eligible to join on one of the legal claims now.
