You could have a claim against Volkswagen Group, even if you have been told you don’t qualify

Dieselgate is one of the biggest corporate scandals in history. It happened when VW and other car manufacturers fitted illegal defeat devices into some of their diesel vehicles to cheat emissions regulations. The result was high levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) being emitted into the atmosphere. In some cases, the toxic emissions were up to 35 times the legal limit. These gasses have a direct impact on the environment and human health.

Affected VW drivers were misled about their vehicles’ efficiency, performance, and environmental friendliness and may have suffered losses as a result. For example, because the vehicles did not meet the promised environmental and performance standards, they may be worth less than the drivers paid for them. Drivers may also have paid higher fuel bills and maintenance costs, and these vehicles’ performance may also have been negatively affected.

Initially, VW admitted that 11 million vehicles worldwide, including almost 1.2 million in the UK, were installed with software capable of cheating emissions tests. The manufacturer then recalled these cars.

In 2020, Keller Lenkner UK launched a group action claim to help VW customers affected by the ‘dieselgate’ scandal claim compensation. Our initial VW claim related to cars with a 1.2l, 1.6l or 2.0l diesel engine manufactured by Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, and Seat.

However, we have discovered that newer VW engines could also have been ‘fixed’ to cheat emissions testing. This means that many more VW diesel vehicles could have been fitted with illegal emissions software than initially thought.

Owners of these vehicles could now also have a claim, even if they have previously been told that they do not qualify, and Keller Lenkner UK has launched a second VW diesel emissions claim to help affected vehicle owners claim compensation.