Volkswagen Settles £193 Million UK Dieselgate Class Action

The Volkswagen emissions scandal, known globally as "Dieselgate," also affected approximately 1.2 million vehicles in the UK. A class action lawsuit was brought on behalf of affected UK car owners who had purchased Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda diesel vehicles fitted with defeat devices.

UK consumers had purchased these vehicles based on VW's marketing of "clean diesel" technology. They paid premium prices for cars that were advertised as being environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient. In reality, the vehicles were emitting nitrogen oxides at levels far exceeding legal limits during normal driving.

The UK litigation was one of the largest class actions in English legal history. Initially, VW denied liability and fought the case aggressively. However, in May 2022, VW agreed to settle for £193 million, covering approximately 91,000 claimants.

Many claimants expressed disappointment with the settlement amount, noting that each owner received only about £2,100 — far less than the per-claimant amounts in the US settlement. However, the differences reflected the different legal frameworks and that UK law provides for more limited damages than US consumer protection law.