The 'Dieselgate' emissions scandal first hit the headlines in 2015 when the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA found that motor manufacturers had fitted cheat devices (also known as defeat devices) to their domestic and commercial vehicles. 

These cheat devices allowed sophisticated software to detect when the car or van was being tested for emissions and adjust the way the engine performed so that lower levels of pollutants were recorded. Such standardised tests are used across the globe to validate a new vehicle model before it's approved for sale and during regulatory testing such as MOTs. 

In real-world driving conditions, the cars and vans were actually creating far higher levels of pollution. Some models exceeded European nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission limits by more than ten times. 

The scandal started with Volkswagen and became known as 'Dieselgate'. Now, it's believed that cheat devices were fitted by almost all motor manufacturers, including Citroën, Fiat, Renault and Jaguar Land Rover.

Could you be owed compensation?

If you purchased or leased a van between 2007 and 2020 you might be eligible to claim compensation. 

Motor manufacturers breached European pollution regulations because any car or van fitted with a cheat device was almost certainly creating more pollution in normal driving conditions than tests showed. 

Many drivers, like you, chose to drive vehicles marketed with fraudulent claims regarding their emissions and this was false advertising. Just like any other type of mis-selling, you are now entitled to seek compensation. 

Since January 2017, when the first claims against a motor manufacturer were successful, more and more vehicle makes are being investigated and found to have breached regulations and falsified their marketing claims. 

How to make a diesel emissions claim

The claims against motor manufacturers are being made as group actions and you will need to find a law firm that's handling these claims. 

Many firms have dedicated sections for diesel emissions claims and there are lots of emissions claims websites out there as well. Some provide registration checker tools that allow you to enter the GB registration of your van and a rough idea of when you owned it and it will tell you immediately whether the van could be eligible. 

You don't have to have bought or leased the van from new and you don't have to still own it. Basically, if you owned a van that was fitted with a cheat device you can now make an application for compensation. 

You could be owed thousands of pounds. 

Keeping costs down

There's no denying it, any amount of compensation would be welcome at this time, so there's nothing to lose by checking whether your van is eligible. 

If you can't make a claim, iVan can still help you keep your van driver costs down by providing cheap van insurance to suit your needs.

Whether you need any driver van insurance, small fleet van insurance or just a good deal on your sole trader van cover, we'll do our utmost to make sure we find you the best deals possible.