Martin Lewis points pressing name to Nissan, Renault and Vauxhall drivers

Owners of Nissan, Renault or Vauxhall diesel vehicles have been urged by Martin Lewis to make a swift decision on whether to join lawsuits related to an alleged scandal over diesel emissions. Several car giants are currently facing group action lawsuits from hundreds of thousands of drivers who allege that they manipulated the results of diesel exhaust emissions tests in a saga now known as “Dieselgate”.

The issue first arose when Audi and Volkswagen (VW), both part of the VW Group, faced regulatory action over some of their diesel cars in the US in 2015, and has since expanded to include other manufacturers. Moneysavingexpert.com, founded by Martin Lewis, stated: “The group legal claims allege, broadly, that the carmakers used illegal ‘defeat devices’ in their diesel vehicles to cheat the tests done by regulators to check their emissions levels, before approving vehicles for sale. Law firms argue that affected cars and vans produce more harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution than advertised and were therefore mis-sold to consumers.”

Consequently, the law firms suggest that buyers could be entitled to a refund or some form of financial compensation as they would not have purchased the vehicles had they known the true emission levels. The law firms also contend that drivers may have paid more for their vehicles because they believed they were paying a premium price for a more eco-friendly vehicle than it actually was.

MSE has issued a statement saying: “If the car or van had to be fixed to comply with emissions standards, the fix itself may have led to worse fuel efficiency or worse performance potentially lowering its value or creating added costs, for which you may be able to claim damages.”

Car manufacturers are currently battling lawsuits that could see them shelling out hundreds of millions across the globe. The outcome, however, rests in the hands of the judiciary, with the legal wrangling expected to stretch on for years.

This month is crucial as MSE highlighted it’s the cut-off for new claims against car makers, urging drivers to make a quick decision on joining the legal fray. Martin Lewis has raised the alarm in a recent post on X, stating: “Nissan, Renault or Vauxhall diesel driver – decide now whether to join emissions lawsuits. This month sees the deadlines for new claims against these manufacturers.”

For those caught up in the emissions saga, MSE provides a comprehensive guide and advice for car owners contemplating legal action here. Further information from MSE reveals: “Between December 2023 and March 2024, several court hearings were held involving the claims of some 1.2 million people against 16 car manufacturing groups. The hearings aimed to simplify the management of the claims, reduce costs and delays, and ensure the efficient use of court resources.

“Following these hearings, the High Court set formal cut-off dates for new claimants joining the diesel emission cases some of these deadlines have now passed, while others are coming up later this year. Crucially, however, individual law firms have set their own, earlier deadlines to ensure they can gather the right information to present to the court.

“If you don’t sign up in time, you may not be able to bring your claim and you could miss out on any compensation you may be due so don’t hang about if you think you have a case.”

Details of the deadlines set by the law firms involved can be found on MSE at this link. The legal claims are not certain to be successful. However there are no costs involved for people who join the legal action. If successful, the law firms involved will be able to claim millions of pounds from the car giants to cover their fees.