The group action, often referred to as 'Dieselgate' has now been settled by Volkswagen for around £200m. It is believed that over 90,000 claimants are involved throughout England and Wales.
The claim, having been brought a number of years ago, was against VW due to the installation of 'defeat devices' in EA189 diesel engines. These engines were fitted in several makes of vehicles including, VW, Audi, Skoda, and Seat.
It was found that these 'defeat devices' worked by reducing an engine's nitrogen oxide levels during certain tests. However, whilst not under test conditions i.e. on the road, this function was turned off allowing excessive levels of nitrogen oxide to be produced, which would fail under test conditions.
Although no admissions of liability have been made, a financial settlement, along with a contribution towards legal costs appears to have been agreed.