Car makers taken to court over claims of ‘cheated’ emissions tests

A class action representing more than 700,000 diesel vehicle owners is set to go to the High Court against vehicle manufacturers alleged to have cheated emissions tests.

Law firm Pogust Goodhead said it plans to launch the biggest group claim ever to come before any of the UK courts.

After a series of High Court hearings over the past year, the High Court has ruled the first trial will be that of cars manufactured by Mercedes, Ford, Nissan/Renault, and Peugeot/Citroën, which will take place in October 2025.

In total, Pogust Goodhead is pursuing claims against 13 vehicle manufacturers, which include Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW, Vauxhall, Fiat Chrysler, Suzuki, Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Hyundai-Kia and Mazda.

According to campaign group Mums for Lungs, research shows almost 40% of all road transport nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are a result of diesel vehicles illegally emitting more than standards allow.

New analysis shows 9.8 million diesel cars (Euro Standards 3-6) still on the road in the UK as of June 2024, with real world testing showing average NOx emissions “far in excess of regulatory limits”, said Mums for Lungs.

It said that 7.5 million diesel cars certified to Euro Standards 5 and 6 are still on the roads. “These models are explicitly linked to illegal 'defeat devices', installed by manufacturers to cheat emissions testing,” the group said. “These models emit 51,400 tonnes of excess NOx annually above legal limits - which represents 28.5% of UK NOx emissions from road transport.”

Mums for Lungs has written an open letter to the Judge which calls for documents related to the litigation to be made publicly available due to the “significant public interest in this matter”.