High Court ruling rejects majority of defeat device allegations involving 1.6 million diesel vehicles from five major manufacturers.
The UK High Court dismissed most diesel emissions claims against Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan, Renault, and Stellantis’s Peugeot-Citroën-DS division. The ruling, issued after 55 hearing days, covered allegations from 1.6 million owners of Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel vehicles produced between 2012 and 2018.
The judge adopted a narrow definition of a defeat device, requiring proof that a device sensed test parameters and reduced emissions control effectiveness during testing. Most of the 40 alleged devices were either not proven or failed to meet the legal threshold. Only Peugeot-Citroën-DS’s “split mode” device and some Renault and Nissan devices were upheld.
Volkswagen was not part of this litigation. The outcome may influence similar cases pending in UK and European courts.