Analysis conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has found that an estimated 6,900,000 vehicles in the UK are using emissions defeat devices.
Citroën, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Nissan and Renault are currently involved in a High Court case in which they are accused of deceiving buyers about the environmental impact of their cars.
It is the largest class action lawsuit in UK history, involving 1.8 million drivers.
Over the next three moths, law firms Leigh Day and Pogust Goodhead will determine whether various diesel vehicles contained defeat devices, which alter a vehicle’s performance during testing, in order to emit less than they do in normal driving.
A study by YouGov found that 63% of British adults do not trust manufacturers to tell the truth about the environmental and health impact of their cars.
69% of surveyed adults said it is unacceptable that there may be cars on UK roads fitted with emissions defeat devices.
Emily Kearsey, lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “Since the Dieselgate scandal first broke a decade ago, auto manufacturers have faced no real accountability.
“The British public wants polluters to pay, and finds it unacceptable that there could still be cars on our roads with emissions-cheating devices.
“Beyond this trial, the Government has a key role to play. Where illegal activity is shown, the Government needs to enforce recalls – paid for by manufacturers.
“Otherwise public health will continue paying the price.”
Nick Hopkinson, medical director at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “Ten years on from when the Dieselgate scandal first broke, diesel vehicles remain the worst polluters on our roads, emitting tiny toxic particles that penetrate deep into the body, causing and worsening a huge range of lung conditions.
“This class action represents a chance at justice – the Government must hold car giants accountable if illegal activity is found to have taken place, because as this YouGov polling shows the public clearly don’t trust the industry to clean up its own mess.”
The ‘Dieselgate’ scandal started in 2015, with the High Court ruling in 2020 that Volkswagen fitted emissions defeat devices to various diesel models.
Volkswagen settled out of court, paying £193m to 91,000 UK drivers.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE said: “The evidence shows that illegal pollution from diesel vehicles has caused thousands of premature deaths in the UK.
“My daughter Ella’s death was the first in the world to be officially linked to air pollution — but we know she is not the only one.
“Car manufacturers have a moral and legal duty to put this scandal right. And the Government needs to step up and phase out diesel vehicles that are still on our streets by 2030.
“It is morally unacceptable that toxic air is still being pumped out by these vehicles without us knowing.
“As the Coroner said in Ella’s case ‘if it wasn’t for the illegal levels of air pollution, not only would Ella have not have got asthma in the first place, but she would not have died on that fatal night.’
“We owe it to every child growing up now to make sure that the air they breathe is safe so that they will not get sick and they will not continue to die.”
