As you may have read in the news, the UK has opened an investigation into the issue of emissions concerning Audi, Skoda, SEAT and VW brands. This following VW admitting that it had cheated emissions tests in the US by avoiding the clean air rules on diesel cars.
It is estimated that over one million people were sold cars with the understanding that they had much lower emissions than was actually true. The people affected are those sold a diesel engine vehicle with an EA 189 EU5 engine (1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 litre) between 2008 and 2014. A list of the vehicles believed to be potentially affected is below:
| Audi | Skoda | Seat | VW |
| A3 2010-2015 | Octavia 2009-2013 | Altea 2009-2014 | Beetle 2009-2015 |
| A3 Cabrio 2010-2015 | Superb 2008-2015 | Leon 2012-2015 | Golf 2009-2015 |
| A4 2008-2015 | Yeti 2009-2013 | Alhambra 2010-2015 | Jetta 2009-2015 |
| A5 2008-2015 | Exeo 2008-2013 | Passat 2014-2015 | |
| A6 2011-2015 | Scirocco 2009-2015 | ||
| TT 2008-2014 | EOS 2009-2014 | ||
| Q3 2011-2015 | CC 2012-2015 | ||
| Q5 2009-2012 | Touran 2010-2015 | ||
| Sharan 2009-2015 | |||
| Tiguan 2009-2015 |
Vehicle owners affected may have a legal claim for breach of contract as they have purchased a vehicle based upon incorrect information provided by VW. In turn, compensation may be recoverable on the basis that there may be a reduction in the resale value of the vehicle and on the basis that a consumer may have paid over the odds in order to buy a greener car than was actually the case.
Currently, Volkswagen have not admitted or been found to have been fabricating emissions readings in the United Kingdom. However, there have been suggestions from the German transport minister that VW have been using the same methods in Europe as in the US to fabricate emission readings. The UK Government and the European Commission are at present looking to set up their own inquiry into the scandal.
Should you believe yourself to be affected please contact our specialist litigation team who will be able to assist with your potential claim and keep you updated on developments concerning the UK and European investigations.