ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

Over 1.6 million UK motorists are bringing a claim against major car manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Nissan. The Claimants in the group litigation (titled the ‘Pan-NOx group litigation’) accuse the manufacturers of installing prohibited software in their cars that manipulated emissions levels during official testing.

It is alleged that this software made the vehicles appear compliant with environmental standards during testing. However, in real-world driving conditions, emissions were recorded up to 40 times above the legal limit. The Claimants allege breach of contract and breach of statutory duty.

The case opened in the Royal Courts of Justice on 13 October 2025 and is listed to last for three months. The current trial focusses on whether a sample of 20 diesel vehicles produced between 2012 and 2017 by five manufacturers allegedly contained the prohibited software.

The trial is estimated to be worth up to £6 billion, with a hearing to determine the amount of any compensation, if the Claimants are successful, listed for October 2026.

The car manufacturers deny any wrongdoing.