UK VW owners launch bid for £3000 compensation

More than 25,000 owners of Volkswagen Group cars affected by the diesel emissions scandal have begun proceedings for a class action lawsuit demanding around £3000 each in compensation.

The number has grown from 10,000 people earlier this month, with the case entering the High Court today. Volkswagen is expected to issue a statement after the proceedings.

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To date, VW has not offered compensation to UK owners of affected cars, which are powered by EA189-designated diesel engines built between 2009 and 2015, arguing that its cars didn’t breach the laxer European emissions regulations.

Around 1. 2million Audis, Seats, Skodas and VWs are affected by the scandal in the UK. If the legal bid is successful it could cost VW £30m initially, will the potential to cost up to £3.6 billion.

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VW’s stance in the UK is in contrast to its position in the US, where affected cars were in clear breach of the tougher regulations. In the US, the firm reached a £12bn settlement with owners, with some receiving payouts of up to £8000.

In the UK, the legal action is being coordinated by legal firm Harcus Sinclair UK on behalf of a consortium of applicants.

Damon Parker, head of litigation at Harcus Sinclair, told the Daily Mail that drivers felt they had "no choice but to take legal action".

"The group action aims to ensure that, if VW is found to have misled consumers about the environmental damage caused by their cars, they are penalised accordingly so as to discourage this sort of behaviour from happening again," he said. 

VW’s stance in the UK and the rest of Europe has previously come under fire from Labour MP Louise Ellman, who chairs the Transport Select Committee.

"Volkswagen's evidence to us was just not credible, but the government has lacked the will to hold VW accountable for its actions," she said last year.

"There is a real danger that VW will be able to get away with cheating emissions tests in Europe if regulators do not act."

A statement from VW in response to the action read: "We have been notified that Harcus Sinclair intends to bring proceedings against Volkswagen on behalf of 77 claimants in the English High court in relation to the NOx emissions issue. As we have previously said, we intend to defend such claims robustly. 

"Technical measures have already been developed by the Volkswagen Group for vehicles affected by the NOx emissions issue and approved in principle by the relevant certifying authorities. Final approvals have also been provided by the authorities in respect of the vast majority of the affected models. The technical measures have already been implemented in a large number of our UK customers’ vehicles.