The Best Car Finance Blog In The World

Road sign-reading technology could collectively save drivers millions of pounds by helping them avoid breaking the speed limit, according to Seat.

The technology uses a front-mounted camera to detect speed limit signs and automatically adjusts a vehicle’s speed. It can also scan school zones and other road signs.

A study of 2,000 UK motorists by Seat found that nearly 10% admitted to being caught speeding annually and more than three quarters (76%) of drivers aren’t always aware what speed they are travelling at.

The manufacturer calculated that by employing road sign-reading technology it could save drivers collectively £327 million based on 10% of licensed drivers in England being issued £100 for an SP30 speeding offence.

Richard Harrison, managing director of Seat UK, said: “It’s certainly eye opening to see that significant numbers of motorists aren’t necessarily always aware of their own speeds, but thankfully there is in-car technology – like our Dynamic Road Sign Display – already on the market to make drivers safer on the road.”

Statistics compiled by the Department for Transport (DfT) showed that over 50% of cars exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads, while 47% of cars broke the limit on motorways in 2020.

From the research, 40% of drivers said they would want a similar technology to Seat’s Dynamic Road Sign Display technology – featured in the new Seat Leon – on their car if it was available.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Ford has announced that it will stop producing the iconic Mondeo at the end of March next year.

The decision, says the manufacturer, is a result of changing consumer preferences.

In 2020, 39% of Ford’s passenger vehicle sales were SUVs and crossovers – up eight percentage points from 2019.

Moreover, customers are showing more confidence in electric vehicles, with more than 50% of Kuga owners purchasing a Kuga PHEV, says Ford.

Launched in 1993, the Mondeo was the first Ford vehicle to be hailed as a “global” car, intended to consolidate a number of Ford models around the world. Since its launch in Europe where it replaced the Ford Sierra, Mondeo sales have reached around five million to date.

However, the part of the large car market that Mondeo competes in has declined by 80% over the past 20 years in Europe.

Mondeo has all-hybrid petrol engines and sub-140g CO2 manual diesels, but Ford said that, with the overall Ford car range transitioning to include all-electric options, Mondeo’s contracting segment does not support an all-electric version and the current model will not be replaced.

S-MAX and Galaxy will continue, with 2.5-litre hybrids added this year.

The news of Mondeo’s demise came as Ford announced that it is continuing to invest in an electrified future for its Valencia factory, where the Mondeo is produced.

Instead, the new 2.5-litre Duratec hybrid engine will be built at its engine plant from late 2022 and battery pack assembly capacity will be increased.

Kieran Cahill, vice president for manufacturing at Ford of Europe, said: “Today is another step on Ford’s electrification journey, providing a bridge to an all-electric passenger vehicle future, and demonstrating our continuing commitment to our manufacturing operations in Valencia where we have invested around $3 billion since 2011.”

From late 2022, Valencia Engine Plant will build the 2.5-litre Duratec hybrid engine for Europe which powers the Kuga PHEV as well as the Kuga, Galaxy and S-MAX Full Hybrid models.

The 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine is the first of its kind to be built by Ford in Europe and reinforces the importance of hybrid vehicles in Ford’s current and future vehicle line-up in Europe.

The 2.5-litre Duratec hybrid engine – which is built currently at Ford’s Chihuahua Engine Plant in Mexico – will be manufactured in Valencia alongside the 2.0-litre and 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engines for which demand remains strong.

Ford also confirmed an additional €5.2 million (£4.4m) to support increased battery pack assembly capacity at Valencia following an initial €24m (£20m) investment announced in January 2020, with the facility starting operation in September last year.

The extra capacity is required to support increased demand for current and future electrified vehicle production, it says.

Earlier this year, Ford announced it is investing at least $22 billion (£16bn) globally in electrification, nearly twice the company’s previous electric vehicle investment plans, and that it investing $1bn (£700m) to create the Ford Cologne Electrification Center in Germany for the manufacture of electric vehicles, the company’s first such facility in Europe.

Ford’s first European-built, volume all-electric passenger vehicle will be built at the facility in 2023, with the potential for a second all-electric vehicle under consideration.

By mid-2026, 100% of Ford’s passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, moving to all-electric by 2030. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Vehicles should be fitted with ‘alcolocks’ to reduce drink-driving, a new report from the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) suggests.

The alcohol interlocks, which require the driver to blow into a breath-testing instrument connected to the vehicle ignition system before the vehicle will start, should be introduced as soon as possible for drivers convicted of drink driving, says PACTS.

The report – Locking out the drink driver – finds that one on six drink driving offences is committed by a reoffender.

The current reliance on media campaigns, penalties, driving bans and police enforcement is enough to deter reoffending, claims PACTS. Nor is it enough to bring down the number of deaths from drink driving – 240 each year, which has not changed since 2010.

David Davies, executive director of PACTS, said: “We were shocked to find that one in six drink driving offences is committed by someone previously convicted.

“Since 2010, this amounts to over 100,000 offences – each of which is highly dangerous to the driver and other road users. Clearly the current system is not adequate.”

The PACTS report looks at the use of alcohol interlocks around the world and finds that they are significantly more effective than licence disqualification at reducing reoffending.

If combined with rehabilitation courses, the benefits can last long after the device is removed, it says.

The report recommends that the courts are given powers to offer or mandate alcohol interlocks for as many drink drivers.

Offenders would be responsible for the costs of the interlock programme – typically around £1,000 a year.

“A number of other countries have introduced alcohol interlocks to prevent repeat drink driving and to bring down the number of deaths and injuries that result,” said Davies.

“Alcohol interlocks have proved highly effective. PACTS is calling on the Government to give UK courts the powers to impose them without delay.”

Reoffending is a major concern. Since 2010, 32,025 people committed a drink drive offence with a previous drink/drug drive offence on their record.

Meanwhile, eight people were convicted of causing death by careless driving when unfit through drink/with alcohol level above the limit with a previous drink/drug offence on their record.

Dräger Safety UK welcomed today’s publication of the PACTS report into the use of interlock devices.

Graham Hurst, marketing manager Impairment at Dräger, said: “We believe that the time is right to try something different to reduce these avoidable fatalites.

“The experience of our colleagues in countries which already incorporate interlock devices into rehabiliaton programmes is that they have a clear impact on deterring drink driving.”

YouGov research, commissioned by Dräger last year, showed that there is public appetite for interlock devices to be fitted to offenders vehicles before their driving licence is returned, particularly for repeat offenders.

More than four in five respondents (83%) said they would support this and more than half (56%) agreed they should be introduced for first time offenders.

“This public endorsement and the publication of today’s report, suggests that there is a recognition that we need to take action to stop persistent offenders putting other road users at risk,” added Hurst.

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart also welcomed the PACTS report. Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research said: “The evidence is clear. Nearly all motorists want new cars fitted with alcolocks to help stop the daily carnage on UK roads from drink driving and this latest PACTS report is even further endorsement.”

The PACTS report mirrors recent research by IAM RoadSmart of over 2,000 motorists, which reveals overwhelming support from motorists to fit alcolocks in all new cars, with 90% of motorists supporting all new cars having built-in technology that immobilises the vehicle if the driver is over the limit.

From 2022 all new cars sold in Europe will be ‘alcolock enabled’ but it is up to the Government to decide how they will be used. IAM RoadSmart has previously stated they will be a useful tool to get drink drive offenders back to safer driving after a ban. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A law firm has claimed that Jaguar Land Rover may have used emissions cheating devices on a number of its diesel engines.

Leigh Day, which has already made similar claims against Mercedes, VW, Nissan, Renault, Porsche, Vauxhall, Citroen and Peugeot, believes up to 365,000 Jaguar and Land Rover models could be affected.

The lawyers state that some JLR vehicles have been proven to emit higher levels of NOx emissions that claimed in tests by German and UK regulators.

A statement issued by the car maker said: “Jaguar Land Rover does not use emissions cheat devices or software in any of its products. We have not yet seen any technical evidence in relation to this matter and will strongly contest any claims made by the no win-no fee legal firm.”

According to Leigh Day, a Jaguar XE 2.0-litre was found by the German VW Commission Enquiry in April 2016 to be producing NOx at nine times the threshold value in an on the road test. In the same report, a Range Rover 3.0-litre produced 11 times the threshold value during on the road testing.

In 2016, following the Volkswagen dieselgate scandal, the Department for Transport concluded in a report that there was no evidence that other manufacturers were using software of the type used by Volkswagen.

Oliver Holland, partner at Leigh Day, said: “Evidence in the public domain clearly shows that diesel engines in some Jaguar Land Rover models were fitted with emissions cheat devices so that customers have not been driving around in the low-emissions vehicles they thought they were.

“Instead, these owners have been cheated, and Britain’s roads and surrounding areas have been polluted with NOx emissions way beyond the levels that motor manufacturers have stated, to maintain profit and avoid regulation essential to our health and the health of the planet.”

Following the dieselgate scandal, Volkswagen Group was the first brand to face civil action with some 90,000 UK owners seeking compensation.

Class action lawsuits have since been launched against the majority of car makers by numerous law firms.

They are accused of using illegal defeat devices to manipulate the emissions performance of vehicles at certain times, such as during emissions tests, to make their cars appear to be more environmentally friendly.

All vehicles registered between 2009 and 2018 underwent the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test, in order to gain type approval. While EU law bans the use of ‘defeat devices’, exceptions within the regulations allow the effectiveness of emissions control systems to be reduced if it’s required to protect the engine against damage or ensure its safe operation.

Last year the European Court of Justice ruled that diesel emission defeat devices cannot be justified by the argument that they “contribute to preventing the ageing or clogging-up of the engine”.

Some car manufacturers admitted that engine control units were programmed to shut off at certain temperatures, but said such practices were fully compliant with the law.

In 2019, JLR issued a voluntary recall for 44,000 cars in the UK after regulators found 10 models were emitting more carbon dioxide (CO2) than they had been certified to emit.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Better safety standards need to be applied to vehicles being used in the gig economy, says FleetCheck.

In a ruling that could have wider ramifications for the gig economy, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Uber must classify its drivers as workers rather than self-employed.

This will have ramifications on companies and drivers who use their own vehicles for business use.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, said that the recent ruling against Uber and the company’s subsequent decision to provide a range of employment rights to drivers should be extended to the safety standards applied to cars and vans.

He explained: “This is not a complaint directed at Uber, which has an inspection regime in place for vehicles that are used as taxis, but at the wider gig economy where some home delivery and courier companies have long operated outside of normal safety bounds.”

Golding argues that there has always been some issues with people using their own “unsuitable” vehicles for business activity but, when this was limited to, for example, a relatively small number of pizza deliveries by teenagers using their old cars, the potential for issues was minimal.

However, he said: “We’re now in a situation, partially prompted by the pandemic, where gig economy drivers are delivering millions of parcels every day and the courier companies who employ them often outsource the entire issue of safety to the driver.

“This demands the question – if the recent example of Uber means that those drivers are being brought under legally-required employment practices, why does the same not apply to legally-required safety standards of those vehicles that are being used on business?

“Every other company operating vans in the country has a responsibility to ensure that they are maintained in a roadworthy condition in accordance with recognised manufacturer standards in a manner that is fully auditable.

“These duty of care measures exist to protect their drivers and other road users and, if problems occur, employers can face prosecution and a range of very serious penalties. There is no good reason for this to be suspended anywhere.”

Golding added that making this point was not intended to target the drivers themselves but the gig economy employers who enforced these kinds of working practices.

He explained: “These drivers are hardworking people who, especially at the moment, are proving important to keep the economy turning over and, in some cases, are helping to deliver services that are essential during the current crisis.

“However, that does not make the use of inappropriate vehicles right. For some home delivery companies, the only requirement is that the vehicle has an MOT and is insured for business use.

“I suspect we’ve all got our own horror stories about some of the vehicles that we’ve experienced courier drivers using, such as the 22-year-old Volvo estate that I’ve seen.”

In a sense, Golding says that those outlying vehicles are not the core issue. “The point is that even the better vehicles being used are often not fit for purpose,” he said.

“For example, if you’ve got a hundred parcels to deliver, fleet norms on safety say that you should be using a van with a bulkhead.

“If someone has an accident with those parcels unsecured on the back and front seats of their hatchback, the chances of the driver being hit hard by something heavy moving at speed is massively increased.

“Companies employing people and their vehicles on this basis are dancing around what is acceptable in safety terms. Their drivers and other road users deserve better.”

Golding believes that the fleet industry should look at ways of ensuring that these businesses start to adopt the same kind of everyday operational measures as other company cars and vans.

“Companies operating on this basis need to start to align to fleet industry norms on safety,” he added.

“These driver-owned vehicles are grey fleet and, as every good fleet manager knows, that means the employer has the same responsibilities as for company-owned vehicles.

“Home delivery and courier companies should, at the very least, be looking at driving licences, maintenance records, insisting on regular walkaround checks and ensuring that vehicles are fit for carrying their payload.

“These are safety essentials for every fleet as well as being a legal and a moral responsibility.” By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Citroen has reduced the price of its range topping e-C4 Shine Plus so that all versions of the electric car are eligible for the revised plug-in car grant.

The e-C4 Shine plus previously had an on-the-price of £35,545, but is now priced from £34,995.

It follows the Government’s decision to lower the eligibility threshold for the plug-in grant to £35,000.

The grant amount was also reduced from £3,000 to £2,500.

Eurig Druce, Citroen UK’s managing director, said: “We were disappointed to hear the news that the support for consumers to make the switch to a low emission vehicle had been reduced.

For this period of transition to be a success and for electrification targets to be met, both the industry and consumers need clearer long-term guidance and support on how we will get there.

“That said, I am proud that Citroen UK’s policy of ‘Fair Pricing’ ensures that consumers will continue to be able to benefit from the full Government Plug in Car Grant when purchasing their new e-C4.”

Pricing for the new e-C4 ranges from £30,895 to £32,495 (on-the-road) when the grant is applied.  All models come equipped with LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels, 10-inch high-resolution touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Sat Nav with TomTom Live Services, Active Safety Brake, Lane Keeping Assist, electric parking brake, rear parking sensors, rear parking camera, electrically folding door mirrors, dual-zone climate control and Citroen Connect Box Emergency and Assistance System.

The car uses a 50kWh battery pack and a 136PS electric motor. It provides a range of up to 217 miles and an 80% charge will take 30 minutes on a 100kW rapid charger.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Buyers of new cars could face waits of six months or more and discounts could be slashed as the worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips continues to affect supplies.

Car buyers might also be asked to pay more for models with digital dashboards or built-in sat-navs – or not be offered those features at all – as manufacturers looks for ways to restrict the number of chips in each vehicle so they can keep production going.

Here, we answer key questions about the shortage, and how it could affect you.

What are semiconductor chips?

Semiconductor chips are a crucial component of modern car infotainment systems, digital dashboards, sat-navs and many other in-car electrical systems. As cars become more complex, they need more of the electronic devices to control systems. Chips are in particularly high demand right now for two reasons.

Firstly, the pandemic has driven up the popularity of consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, games consoles, laptops and tablets, diverting the supply of the chips away from the automotive sector. Car manufacturers were using far fewer chips for most of last year as heavily reduced demand led to factory closures.

Secondly, the increase in demand for new cars in the last quarter of 2020 meant many car makers exceeded their forecasts, and didn’t order enough chips early on to satisfy the demand for newly ordered cars.

Unfortunately for car makers, they are not the biggest users of computer chips so they have far less bargaining power over the producers than computer and phone companies, which buy around 90% of the supply. 

Although some of the simpler chips are made by automotive suppliers such as Bosch and Denso, it is estimated that 70% of chips for cars are made by one supplier in Taiwan, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Only 3% of its revenue comes from the automotive sector, so it’s highly unlikely to change its business plan to accommodate car makers.

Europe currently accounts for less than 10% of global chip production, although that’s 6% more than five years ago. It wants to boost that figure to 20% and is looking at investing 20-30 billion euros to make that happen. In the meantime, it’s predicted that the chip shortage could continue into the autumn or even into 2022.

Which car makers and models are affected?

Although the chip shortage is expected to affect all car makers, some have been more open about it. Ford has recently stated that it will produce 1.1 million fewer cars this year.

Its production will be down 50% in the second quarter and 10% down in the second half of 2021. So far, Ford has built 22,000 vehicles that are waiting for chips to be installed.

Ford temporarily stopped production at its factories in the US, Germany and Turkey earlier this year, and it says the closures will affect Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo, S-Max and Transit Connect production until 31 July. The Fiesta and Puma will also be affected, but buyers should not face such lengthy delays for these models. 

Production lines at Audi, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Mercedes, Mini and Toyota plants have also been hit. JLR says there will be an impact on deliveries of the Jaguar XE, XF and F-Type and the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, but it won’t affect the Range Rover, Jaguar F-Pace and Land Rover Defender. Mercedes models affected include the C-Class, EQC and GLC.

The ripple effect of the slow-down in car production is starting to be felt at dealership level, with one Ford dealer group saying that it would no longer be offering discounts on 10 of the 15 new car models it sells, including the Fiesta, Focus, Kuga and Puma.  

Car buyers may also have to do without certain electrical systems or pay more for them. Nissan is reportedly leaving navigation systems out of cars that would normally have them, and there have been reports that Renault is no longer fitting digital dashboards to certain models.

Peugeot has reputedly changed the instrument cluster on run-out models of the 308 from a digital unit to an analogue one so it can keep up with production of newer models, including the 3008 SUV. A 5.0in digital cluster from the Mini Electric that was expected to be standard on all other versions of the Mini has now been made an optional extra. By Graham Hill thanks to What Car

A consultation will be launched later this year to decide the distance a new hybrid electric vehicle can travel on zero emissions to remain on sale from 2030 to 2035.

Publishing its response today to a consultation on Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans, the Government also said it remained technology neutral and recognised that hydrogen could have a role to play.

Ministers confirmed in November 2020, that new petrol and diesel cars and vans would not be allowed to be sold in the UK from 2030.

New hybrid cars and vans that could drive a “significant distance” with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe, however, would be allowed to remain on sale until 2035.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV) has previously explained that only plug-in and full hybrids will still be considered for sale from 2030 until 2035.

Full hybrids include the likes of the Toyota Prius and the Kia Niro, while mild hybrids, which are rapidly becoming the norm on most engines, are offered by Ford, with MHEV engines on the Fiesta, Puma and Focus.

In its response to the internal combsution engine (ICE) ban consultation, the Government says that it wants to increase the pace of transition to zero-emission driving.

“In doing so we recognise the importance of deploying a range of cleaner vehicle technologies from today up until the phase out dates,” it said.

“In particular, full hybrids and plug-in hybrids have a key role to play, both in reducing emissions and as a stepping-stone technology to help consumers and businesses adapt to zero emission driving.

“We are not banning the use of petrol and diesel cars and vans. These decisions only apply to new cars and vans. They do not apply to existing petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans which can continue to be driven and sold in the second-hand market.”

The Government says it recognises that a new target will be “challenging for different sectors of society and the economy”.

“Issues around affordability, range anxiety and infrastructure must be addressed to foster the willingness of drivers to transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs),” it added.

“Government takes a technology neutral approach on how this transition will be achieved. While it is true that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) dominate the current ZEV market, we recognise the potential of hydrogen as another solution for zero emission transport, particularly for heavier road vehicles.”

POSSIBLE DEROGATIONS

The Department for Transport (DfT) says that it will consider a “very limited range of derogations” to the phase out dates for specialist vehicles, including military service and emergency vehicles. A consultation on these derogations will be launched in due course.

It will also publish a delivery plan this year setting out major milestones towards the phase out dates and committed spending and regulatory measures. Progress against the plan will be monitored and reported publicly on an annual basis.

Furthermore, it will conduct a review of progress towards the phase out dates by 2025.

“Moving millions of vehicles to zero emissions is an enormous challenge,” said transport secretary Grant Shapps. “Government has already committed £1.5 billion to boost the early market, but now we are going further.

“We are backing our new phase out dates with over £2.8bn of investment to drive up the number of zero emission vehicles, accelerate the roll out of our world-class chargepoint infrastructure network, and to secure investment in gigafactories and other strategic technologies to develop the UK’s electric vehicle supply chain.”

In a Fleet News survey, conducted after the ICE ban was announced late last year, almost two-thirds of fleets said that implementing a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 was too soon.

The Government had previously said it would end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A consultation will be launched later this year to decide the distance a new hybrid electric vehicle can travel on zero emissions to remain on sale from 2030 to 2035.

Publishing its response today to a consultation on Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans, the Government also said it remained technology neutral and recognised that hydrogen could have a role to play.

Ministers confirmed in November 2020, that new petrol and diesel cars and vans would not be allowed to be sold in the UK from 2030.

New hybrid cars and vans that could drive a “significant distance” with no carbon coming out of the tailpipe, however, would be allowed to remain on sale until 2035.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV) has previously explained that only plug-in and full hybrids will still be considered for sale from 2030 until 2035.

Full hybrids include the likes of the Toyota Prius and the Kia Niro, while mild hybrids, which are rapidly becoming the norm on most engines, are offered by Ford, with MHEV engines on the Fiesta, Puma and Focus.

In its response to the internal combsution engine (ICE) ban consultation, the Government says that it wants to increase the pace of transition to zero-emission driving.

“In doing so we recognise the importance of deploying a range of cleaner vehicle technologies from today up until the phase out dates,” it said.

“In particular, full hybrids and plug-in hybrids have a key role to play, both in reducing emissions and as a stepping-stone technology to help consumers and businesses adapt to zero emission driving.

“We are not banning the use of petrol and diesel cars and vans. These decisions only apply to new cars and vans. They do not apply to existing petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans which can continue to be driven and sold in the second-hand market.”

The Government says it recognises that a new target will be “challenging for different sectors of society and the economy”.

“Issues around affordability, range anxiety and infrastructure must be addressed to foster the willingness of drivers to transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs),” it added.

“Government takes a technology neutral approach on how this transition will be achieved. While it is true that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) dominate the current ZEV market, we recognise the potential of hydrogen as another solution for zero emission transport, particularly for heavier road vehicles.”

POSSIBLE DEROGATIONS

The Department for Transport (DfT) says that it will consider a “very limited range of derogations” to the phase out dates for specialist vehicles, including military service and emergency vehicles. A consultation on these derogations will be launched in due course.

It will also publish a delivery plan this year setting out major milestones towards the phase out dates and committed spending and regulatory measures. Progress against the plan will be monitored and reported publicly on an annual basis.

Furthermore, it will conduct a review of progress towards the phase out dates by 2025.

“Moving millions of vehicles to zero emissions is an enormous challenge,” said transport secretary Grant Shapps. “Government has already committed £1.5 billion to boost the early market, but now we are going further.

“We are backing our new phase out dates with over £2.8bn of investment to drive up the number of zero emission vehicles, accelerate the roll out of our world-class chargepoint infrastructure network, and to secure investment in gigafactories and other strategic technologies to develop the UK’s electric vehicle supply chain.”

In a Fleet News survey, conducted after the ICE ban was announced late last year, almost two-thirds of fleets said that implementing a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 was too soon.

The Government had previously said it would end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2040.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Law firm Hagen Berman UK says it has filed proceedings against Daimler AG, Mercedes Benz Cars UK and Mercedes Benz Financial Services UK, in a bid to secure compensation payouts for drivers affected by emissions “cheating”.

The firm alleges that Mercedes programmed some of its diesel models produced between 2008 and 2018 to reduce the vehicles’ illegally high levels of nitrogen oxide when the vehicles were being tested for emissions.

In August last year, the German car maker agreed to pay a £560m settlement to owners in the USA after it was accused of cheating emissions tests.

Mercedes-Benz said cars sold in the US used different emissions control systems to those in Europe, however, and believes the claims brought forward by UK law firms are “without merit”.

Some 33,000 people in England and Wales have registered interest to have Hagens Berman represent them in the group litigation. The law firm says claimants can now formally opt in to join the case. Other interested parties are also still eligible to join.

“British consumers have a similar right to compensation for unlawful, deceptive and defective emissions-cheating implemented by Mercedes,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman. “Following the $700 million US settlement against Mercedes, we spent the past year laying the foundation for equally successful litigation in the UK. We are now poised to hold Mercedes and other defendants to account.”

A number of car makers are being targeting by law firms for emissions cheating. Most recently, Harcus Parker announced it was investing all car makers that sold diesel models between 2009 and 2018. So far, no claims have been successful.

A 2016 investigation by the Vehicle Certification Agency, on behalf of the Department for Transport, found that only Volkswagen Group vehicles featured defeat devices designed specifically to beat official testing.

However, the tests provided further evidence that NOx emissions from diesel vehicles were higher in real-world conditions and on the test track than in laboratory conditions.

The investigation concluded that the EU regulations provided uncertainty about how emissions control systems may be reduced or deactivated in certain conditions and did not detail how the exceptions to the ban on defeat devices should apply, whether or how manufacturers should apply these exemptions, or how a type approval authority should evaluate the validity of their use. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News