- 1.6 million UK diesel owners are suing five automakers over emissions cheating.
- Mercedes, Ford, Renault, Nissan, and Peugeot Citroen face trial in London court.
- Other brands like Porsche, JLR, BMW, and Mazda may be affected by the ruling.
A decade after Volkswagen Group’s infamous dieselgate scandal rocked the auto world, a new emissions controversy is unfolding in the UK, drawing five major carmakers into the legal spotlight over the same issue once again.
On Monday, October 13, at London’s High Court, around 1.6 million diesel vehicle owners went on the offensive, accusing Mercedes‑Benz, Ford, Renault, Nissan, and Stellantis brands Peugeot and Citroën of equipping their cars with “defeat devices” to cheat nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions tests.
Related: Diesel Is Dying And Toyota Already Picked Its Replacement
This massive legal brawl is shaping up to be among the largest group actions in English legal history. The claimants argue that under real-world driving conditions, their cars puffed out far more NOx than what official tests indicated.
Billions of pounds in potential damages hang in the balance, along with the reputations of the manufacturers at the center of the storm.
Echoes Of Dieselgate
And it’s not just the five headline automakers in the dock here. The court will only hear cases from the five to save time and money, The Guardian reports, but the final judgment will also affect numerous other brands, including BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Suzuki, Toyota, Mazda, and Hyundai-Kia.
The trial evokes echoes of Dieselgate, when Volkswagen admitted to installing cheat software in millions of vehicles worldwide. According to the claimants, these five manufacturers allegedly took a conscious decision to prioritize “customer convenience” (ie. sales volume) over compliance and clean air.
Court filings reveal the accused automakers reject the idea that everything we know about VW’s behavior during the dieselgate period can also be applied to them.
And some of the brands have ridiculed the prosecution’s lack of understanding about diesel engines and emissions control systems. Ford’s lawyers, in particular, described the case as “scientifically illiterate.”
The court will first examine whether the alleged defeat devices were present. Only after that will the debate shift to the compensation each owner is entitled to.
What Comes Next
The preliminary hearing phase is expected to conclude before the end of the year, with more substantive arguments beginning in March 2026. A final judgment is anticipated by the following summer.
Diesel sales might have dropped like a stone in recent years, but legal battles like this mean we’ll not forget about it any time soon.
