As many as 45,000 drivers in region could be owed VW ‘Dieselgate’ payout

IT is estimated that 45,000 motorists in Greater Manchester can still make a claim for compensation from the Volkswagen Group over the diesel emissions scandal, which first came to light in 2015, when the US Environmental Protection Agency revealed how the VW Group had violated the Clean Air Act.

Around 1.2 million customers in the UK purchased VW Group manufactured diesel vehicles between 2008 and 2016 with no knowledge that they were fitted with software designed to defeat vehicle emissions tests. These include Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT and Skoda.

This resulted in drivers taking to the roads unaware that, as a result of this software, their vehicles were emitting Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) above the legal limit in the UK.

Almost 40% of people who responded to a survey carried out by Toluna Insights in August said they were more concerned about the impact of air pollution on their lung health since the Covid-19 pandemic, and 72% believed that the VW Group focused too much on profit to the detriment of public health and the environment.

Legal firm LGWP Law is calling on consumers in England and Wales to hold the VW Group to account and nd make a claim if they purchased, leased or financed a diesel Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT or Skoda vehicle manufactured between January 1, 2008, and January 1, 2016.

LGWP Law Director Philip Evans said: “We would urge anyone who may have owned or leased an affected vehicle to join us in holding the Volkswagen Group to account account.

“The VW Group mu must be held a accountable f for their actions by not only c compensating t their cu customers fina financially but also loo looking at ways to offset any environmental damage their vehicles caused in the UK.”

Five years after the VW Group emissions scandal emerged, UK drivers have not been offered any compensation, despite the fact that the VW Group has paid billions in compensation in the USA, Canada, Australia and Germany.

The survey also said that 70 per cent of people thought that the VW Group’s refusal to compensate UK motorists was unfair, and 83 per cent felt that the Government should take stronger action against corporations that flout environmental regulations.