Volkswagen is to pay £193million to more than 90,000 people after it settled a major High Court claim over the “dieselgate” emissions scandal. Tens of thousands of owners of affected Volkswagen Group diesel vehicles in England and Wales – including VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda cars – took legal action for compensation following the emissions testing revelations seven years ago.
Their lawyers had argued Volkswagen “cheated” European emissions standards, which were designed “to save lives”, by installing unlawful “defeat devices” in its diesel vehicles. The vehicles exceeded the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide emitted when out on the road, including up to 40 times the legal limit by US standards.
The claim brought by around 91,000 people, which lawyers said was the biggest consumer group action ever to be brought before the English courts, was due to go to trial in January 2023. But in a statement on Wednesday, the car manufacturing group and lawyers acting for the drivers said a multimillion pound out-of-court settlement had been reached.
