Car makers go on trial in UK over diesel testing claims

(Sharecast News) - Legal action against some of the world's biggest car makers got underway in London on Monday, over claims they cheated on diesel emissions tests. The mass lawsuit - which has nearly 850,000 claimants - has been brought by owners of diesel vehicles made by Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan, Renault and Stellantis-owned Peugeot-Citroen.

It alleges that the companies used so-called defeat devices, which are unlawful, when testing emissions.

The High Court hearing will focus on a small sample of diesel vehicles produced by the five manufacturers, to see if they used any prohibited devices. A judgement is not expected until next summer, while any potential damages would then be decided at a further trial.

The manufacturers deny the claims, however, arguing that they are "fundamentally flawed", according to Reuters.

They have also rejected any similarity with a scandal that engulfed Volkswagen in 2015.

The German car maker was hit when widespread fines and lawsuits after it was found to have cheated emissions tests.

In 2022, it agreed to pay £193m to more than 90,000 drivers in England and Wales, and has now paid out more than €32bn over the scandal to date.

Mercedes told the BBC that the mechanisms used in its tests were "justifiable from a technical and legal standpoint", while Renault and Stellantis reiterated that the vehicles they sold were compliant with regulation at the times.

Ford said the claims had no merit, while Nissan reaffirmed its commitment to compliance across all its markets.