UK court refuses permission to appeal in diesel emissions lawsuits against carmakers

London's High Court ​on Thursday refused claimants ‌permission to ​appeal against its July decision which broadly found in favour of some of ‌the world's biggest carmakers over diesel emissions.

But lawyers representing around 1.6 million claimants said they would apply directly to the Court of ‌Appeal, in a bid to revive the lawsuits which ‌were brought in the wake of Volkswagen's "Dieselgate" scandal. After a trial, which began in October 2025, most of the allegations that 20 sample vehicles made ⁠by Mercedes-Benz , ​Ford, Nissan, ⁠Renault and the Stellantis-owned brands Peugeot and Citroen were fitted with unlawful "defeat devices" ⁠were rejected.

Judge Sara Cockerill refused the claimants permission to appeal against ​her ruling, though the claimants' lawyers said they would apply ⁠directly to the Court of Appeal. She added she would give full reasons ⁠for ​her decision at a later date. Martyn Day, senior partner at one of the claimants' law firms Leigh Day, ⁠said: "While we are obviously disappointed with the decision, this is far ⁠from the ⁠end of the road for the 1.6 million clients bringing a legal claim over Dieselgate."