Renault & Nissan owners may get emissions cash
OWNERS of nearly 1.5 million Nissan and Renault cars could be in line for compensation of up to £5,000 each over alleged attempts to cheat emissions testing, say lawyers.
They claim up to 100,000 Nissan Qashqais, the UK’s best-selling family petrol car, and 1.3 million diesel Renault and Nissan vehicles could be fitted with illegal “defeat devices”.
Both car giants dismissed the allegations.
It is the first time that petrol cars have been dragged into the so-called
Dieselgate scandal. Defeat devices were at the heart of Dieselgate – which engulfed German car manufacturer Volkswagen in 2015.
The company was found to have installed software that artificially lowered emissions of nitrogen oxides when the vehicles were being tested.
Harcus Parker, which is launching a legal action against Nissan and Renault, claims that up to 100,000 1.2L Nissan Qashqais breach emissions limits by up to 15 times when driven on the roads.
It claims the Department for Transport warned Nissan in 2017 of “very high” emissions during testing.
The London law firm alleges buyers overpaid for their vehicles as a result of the alleged defeat devices.
Senior partner Damon Parker says affected models include the Nissan Qashqai, Note, Juke and X-Trail, and Renault Clio, Espace, Captur, Megane and Scenic, made between 2009-2018.
In a statement Renault said: “All Groupe Renault vehicles are, and always have been, type-approved in accordance with the laws and regulations for all the countries in which they are sold and are not fitted with ‘defeat devices’.”
Nissan, which builds the Qashqai at its Sunderland factory, said in a statement: “Nissan strongly refutes these claims. Nissan has not and does not employ defeat devices in any of the cars that we make, and all Nissan vehicles fully comply with applicable emissions legislation.”