Ford and Mercedes among carmakers under scrutiny over ‘dieselgate’ scandal

Today, a major lawsuit will begin that’s aimed at finding out whether six carmakers — Citroen, Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Peugeot and Renault — have had any involvement in the long-standing ‘dieselgate’ scandal. 

These manufacturers have been chosen by the court as lead defendants that will be tried first, with a further 10 carmakers expected to be tried at a later date. Depending on the outcome of this case, the remaining manufacturers could face a similar prosecution. 

Dieselgate first emerged in 2015, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a probe into Volkswagen. The EPA accused the car maker of using manipulative software — known as ‘defeat devices’ — in vehicles like the 2009-2013 Golf, which strategically lowered the nitrogen oxide emissions of its diesel cars to downplay their pollutant levels. 

Volkswagen paid an estimated £193m to more than 91,000 British drivers after it settled a High Court claim over the installation of these devices. Since then, dieselgate is said to have cost Volkswagen more than £27.8 billion.  

This new investigation will determine whether the six manufacturers mentioned have used similar technology to Volkswagen in an attempt to reduce emission levels during test cycles. 

All manufacturers involved have denied any wrongdoings, with a spokesperson for Mercedes saying the devices used were “justifiable from a technical and legal standpoint”. Ford has said the claims had "no merit", while both Renault and Stellantis, which owns Citroën and Peugeot, have said its vehicles complied with regulations at the time. 

Martyn Day, the co-founder of Leigh Day, one of 22 law firms representing motorists in this case, said: “A decade after the Dieselgate scandal first came to light, 1.6 million UK motorists now get their chance to establish at trial whether their vehicles contained technology designed to cheat emissions tests.

“It would also mean that people across the UK have been breathing in far more harmful emissions from these vehicles than they were told about, potentially putting the health of millions at risk."

An outcome isn’t expected until next summer at the very least, and after that, a follow-up trial could be carried out to clarify how much compensation could be owed. 

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