Thousands of diesel car owners are taking legal action after allegedly being misled about their car’s pollution’s level.

Some motorists who owned a diesel car between 2007 and 2020 are teaming up to take legal action against car manufacturers, claiming they installed devices into vehicles which led to reduced nitrous oxide emissions readings, leading them to believe their car’s pollution level was lower than it really was.

Manufacturers have denied the claims, but motorists claim results gave lower readings when they were in fact heavily polluting vehicles.

Back in 2015 Volkswagen admitted to installing “defeat devices”, which lowered a car’s nitrous oxide emissions reading”, with claims that consumers who had purchased these vehicles were mis-sold. VW paid out £193m to claimants, around £2,000 per person. Other manufacturers are also now facing legal claims.

You might be considering making a claim if you own a diesel car and believe you were affected, but what do you have to know beforehand? Legal claims come with significant costs, so it’s worth knowing all the specifics before filing one.

Which vehicles can you claim for?

Legal firms have said customers of the following brands might have been affected, but manufacturers deny this. They are Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes, Mini, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Suzuki, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Volvo.

VW is the only one to have already paid out £192m to settle 91,000 claims in England and Wales. It includes its brands Audi, Seat and Skoda. But according to MoneySavingExpert, you might still be able to claim for these brands.

Are you eligible to make a diesel emissions claim?

Motorists in England and Wales who were the registered keepers of diesel vehicles or vans manufactured between 2007 and 2020 could be eligible to join a group legal claim.

Criteria varies, but law firms might accept you if your vehicle was:

• Bought new or second hand
• Leased
• If you had a company car and the contract was under your name

You don’t need to still be the owner of the vehicle. You can check your eligibility for free via the following law companies’ websites, according to MoneySavingExpert:

In England and Wales:

• For claims relating to Mercedes: Hagens Berman UK, Slater and Gordon
• For claims relating to other manufacturers: Leigh Day, Millberg London, Pogust Goodhead

In Scotland:

• Thompsons Solicitors Scotland and Slater Gordons provide guidance

In Northern Ireland:

• For claims related to Mercedes vehicles: Edwards and Co solicitors

Keep in mind that solicitors in Northern Ireland are not allowed to take on cases on a “no win, no fee” basis so you might be required to pay upfront.

Your claim has to be based on your suffering a financial loss due to any misrepresentation by the company about its vehicles’ diesel emissions. So for instance if you paid more because you believed you were buying an environmentally friendly car, or if it later had to be fixed to comply with emissions standards which led to poorer performance or a lower resale value.

As their payment, law firms will take a percentage of any compensation. The maximum they can claim ranges between 30-50%. You can only sign up with one law firm per vehicle.

You can also only join a claim for the country where you bought or leased the vehicle, regardless of where you live. Rules will vary in different parts of the UK. If you bought your vehicle outside the UK, you will not be eligible.

How can I make a diesel emissions claim and how long will it take?

The most straightforward option is to look into joining a claim, as independent litigation can be very costly. Adverts will ask you to join other diesel vehicle owners in their claims against manufacturers.

Several law firms have dedicated web sites for you to submit details of your vehicle to figure out whether you’re eligible. Cases have been going on for some years now – if you’re thinking about making a claim you might want to wait until there is a court judgement against a manufacturer as you can then make a claim yourself.

If you are interested in making a claim make sure you do your due diligence on the law firm of your choosing and that you keep on top of updates.

Additionally, a claim can take up to five years or longer to be processed so don’t expect the payout to be quick.

What to keep in mind when choosing a law firm

Do your research before you sign up. You can look at reviews on sites such as Trustpilot which will give you an idea of what they are like. Some firms might be better reviewed than others when it comes to emissions claims specifically.

Online forums and social media groups made for and by motorists pursuing claims might also be a useful source of information.

What are the risks involved in making a diesel claim?

Firms are working on a “no win, no fee” basis (except potentially for those in Northern Ireland) so there won’t be an upfront fee.

But if the claim fails, there could be legal costs if the firm doesn’t have “after the event insurance” so make sure you clarify when signing up that you have this cover. Also ask for any legal costs you might have to pay before you sign up.

If you change your mind you have a 14 day cooling off period after you sign up. During this time cancelling is straightforward. Afterwards it will require more paperwork and might involve fees. Make sure you carefully go through any paperwork when you receive it. Keep all communications with the firm in writing too.

What happens if the claim proceeds?

If your claim proceeds you might be asked for additional information detailing proof of ownership or financial agreements. A full witness statement or attending court is unlikely to be necessary.

How much could I receive from a successful diesel claim?

VMW’s payouts have been in the thousands but this isn’t guaranteed. What you receive is difficult to predict.

Even if your firm believes you’re eligible for compensation the amount could be reduced by the court. A lower amount could be paid out if the case is settle outside of court.

Should I file a diesel claim?

This is ultimately up to you. It’s important to know the pros and cons of making a claim, and to be aware there is no guarantee you will be successful.

Also keep in mind you might have to pay a fee if the claim fails and your law firm doesn’t have insurance.

Finally, ask yourself if you genuinely suffered a loss as the process is years-long and there is no guarantee of a win.

There are clear environmental benefits of owning an electric vehicle (EV) over a petrol or diesel vehicle but prospective buyers may wonder if they are cheaper to buy and run.

The government is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and hybrid vehicles from 2035 in a carbon-cutting drive, while the number of EVs on the roads is on the rise.

March 2026 was a record month for EVs bought, with 196,059 registered, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the trade association for the automotive industry.

Government forecasts estimate that there will be at least eight million electric and hybrid cars on UK roads by 2030.

But while usage is going up, there are a number of costs to consider when buying an EV, including installing a charging point and the price of electricity.

The government has also cut back on EV incentives. Road tax and congestion charge exemptions which previously applied to EVs have been dropped or watered down since April 2025.

Given all these factors, should you buy an electric vehicle? We go through everything you need to know below.

How much do electric cars cost?

When talking about EVs, people are generally referring to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which are also known as electric vehicles (EVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

One major drawback to EVs and PHEVs is that they are often more expensive than their petrol and diesel counterparts.

For example, a brand new Vauxhall Mokka with petrol engine costs £25,570 while the EV version costs £31,680, as of 7 April.

You don’t have to spend tens of thousands of pounds on a new EV though. Dacia’s more budget-friendly Expression Electric 45 EV costs just £15,645 when bought new.

The second-hand market continues to grow as well, with 275,000 used EV car sales in 2025, up 45% from 2024, according to the RAC.

Meanwhile, financing schemes are available for those who want to pay for an EV monthly rather than as one lump sum. These types of schemes are similar to those for petrol and diesel cars, with 0% APR offers available on the market.

How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle?

It costs between £4 and £20 to fully charge an EV through a home charging point depending on the size of your car’s battery and which tariff you’re on, according to the RAC.

Charging at a public rapid charger is more expensive – costing over £60 to get to 80% charge.

Generally, charging an EV at home is much cheaper than fueling a petrol or diesel car, but the cost difference is nominal when using a public charging point, according to the RAC.

You can bring charging costs down further by opting for an EV energy tariff. Energy companies target these specifically at EV drivers, giving them discounted electricity unit rates for charging their vehicle during off-peak hours – usually overnight.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at AA, said: “For the vast majority of EV drivers, charging from home unlocks fantastic savings.

“Shopping for special EV tariffs from home energy suppliers means even bigger savings can be made when the vehicle is recharged overnight.

“On the road, some ultra-rapid charging companies provide off-peak rates where the price can be significantly cheaper than those offering a 24/7 flat rate.”

Technological innovations can help bring prices down further still, according to charging solutions companies like Pod Point. The company has a home charger which is designed to be integrated with domestic solar panels.

Once installed, over time, drivers can offset the upfront costs of their charger and solar panels and then effectively charge their EV for free rather than relying on the grid.

What is the cost of installing an electric vehicle charger?

The cost of installing a home charge point is around £800 to £1,200.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to secure a government grant to offset some of these costs. For example, renters, flat owners and homeowners can get up to £500 off the cost of a chargepoint installation until March 2027.

Do you have to pay road tax on electric cars?

You do have to pay road tax on an EV, but the amount depends on when you bought it. If you registered the car on or after 1 April 2025, you pay £10 for the first year then £200 annually from the second year.

EVs registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 pay £200 each year while EVs bought between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay £20 a year.

If the EV you own is worth more than £50,000 and was registered on or after 1 April 2025 you have to pay an expensive car supplement of £440 a year from your second tax payment onwards.

The London congestion charge has also been payable by EV drivers since 25 December 2025.

Furthermore, from April 2028, owners of EVs will also have to pay electric Vehicle Excise Duty of 3p per mile driven.

Are electric cars worth it?

HSBC has a calculator which lets you work out how much money you could save by switching from petrol to electric. The calculator is based on a number of variables: car size, annual mileage, electricity price and fuel price.

Analysis by MoneyWeek found that by switching to an EV you could make a saving of £950 a year, based on a small car, annual mileage of 10,000, the cost of electricity being 24p per kilowatt and unleaded costing 157p per litre.

The median yearly cost of insuring an EV is £511 compared to £397 for a petrol or diesel car – a £114 difference – according to the latest data from Go.Compare.

Meanwhile, the cost of a yearly MOT is around the same for EVs and petrol or diesel cars.

Factoring in all these costs, you would save £836 a year driving an EV compared to a petrol or diesel counterpart.

Driving an EV also shields you from sudden upswings in the price of petrol, which hit motorists in spring 2026 following the conflict in the Middle East.

Of course, it takes time for any ongoing savings to cancel out the upfront costs associated with buying an EV (i.e. the premium you pay for an electric vehicle versus a petrol one, plus the cost of purchasing and installing the charging point).

However, it is important to look at your individual circumstances before making a decision. For example, if you drive a lot, your savings on fuel will be more significant. You might also be happy to opt for a cheaper EV model rather than buying a premium brand like Tesla.

Similarly, if you live in London and are already looking to buy a new vehicle because your old one isn’t ULEZ-compliant, it might be worth thinking about going electric. The ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) charge is currently £12.50 per day.

Another important factor to consider is the 2035 deadline when the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will be banned in the UK. In other words, the future is electric.

Once this deadline comes in, you will still be able to buy and sell combustion-engine vehicles second hand. However, it is likely they will fall in value considerably on the second-hand market as they become less desirable – meaning you could get less for your vehicle when you decide to sell.

Tesla is roaring ahead, says Lex in the Financial Times. Sales reached almost $12bn in the second quarter, nearly double the level of a year ago, while operating profits tripled to $1.3bn. Tesla “benefited from higher sales volumes and reined in its operating costs”. Tesla also seems optimistic about the future, as it has already announced “robust” deliveries of new vehicles for the second quarter, despite supply-chain problems.

The latest figures suggest that Tesla “has finally joined the grown-ups”, says Antony Currie on Breakingviews. Its pre-tax profit margin of 11% rivals Toyota and General Motors (GM). Still, this doesn’t mean the shares are worth buying. They look wildly overvalued at 115 times forward earnings. Meanwhile, the group is facing growing competition from both “established manufacturers”, such as Volkswagen, Ford Motor and GM, and “young start-ups” such as Lucid. Tesla may have avoided the fate of other electric carmakers, such as Faraday Future, Fisker Automotive and Lordstown Motors, which either went bankrupt or failed to break through, but even CEO Elon Musk accepts that Tesla’s future may not be as rosy as its past, says Io Dodds in The Daily Telegraph.

He warned against complacency, cautioning that “the seeds of defeat are sown on the day of victory”. In particular, he admitted that Tesla was vulnerable to further supply-chain pressures, while Tesla continues to experience “repeated turbulence” in China due to a series of protests by consumers about “alleged safety errors”.

Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) company Nio, listed in New York, has become “one of the most popularly traded stocks in Britain” because many see it as “the next Tesla” says The Times. The stock has risen 28-fold from $2.11 in March to about $60 today. Nio’s market value eclipses that of both General Motors and Ford. Nio is also endorsed by many “admired and successful technology investors” who argue that it is “probably the clear leader” among Chinese electric-car companies.

Nio’s surge marks a sharp change in fortune from last year, when it “appeared to be teetering on the edge of insolvency”, says Alison Tudor-Ackroyd in the South China Morning Post. Not only had Covid-19 “crimped” sales, but the company was also reeling from the Chinese government’s cuts in subsidies as well as the prospect of stronger competition from Tesla in its home market. However, Beijing then reversed course, with a state-controlled company making an emergency injection of cash into the company, enabling Nio to boost production. It recently unveiled a new model that claims to “go as far as 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) on a single charge”.

A rich valuation

Nio’s shares could go even higher, says Trefis Team on Forbes. Sales are “poised to double to about $5bn in 2021”. Nio will benefit from the fact that China “has set a target that 25% of car sales by 2025 must be new-energy vehicles”. It is also developing a modular battery system that will allow users to swap batteries quickly, making it easier to travel long distances, and promising an improved self-driving system. Still, its valuation looks “rich” and it is not clear that it has done enough to build “a sustainable competitive advantage”.

The frenzy surrounding Nio is certainly helping it “suck up capital”, with the company announcing last week that it is issuing $1.3bn in convertible bonds, says Anjani Trivedi on Bloomberg. Still, investors need to be cautious, as the “fandom” that these shares have been enjoying is unlikely to last if they can’t deliver tangible results. Note that Nio “hasn’t been profitable since inception”. It recently admitted that “it may have to scale back operations if it can’t move into the black”. The big challenge is “less about getting people revved up for electric cars” and “more in making good, affordable vehicles – at scale”.

The Chinese EV sector looks due for a shakeout, says Christian Shepherd and Thomas Hale in the Financial Times. Around $60bn in government subsidies for EVs between 2009 and 2017 prompted “hundreds of new companies” to spring up in China. But many pocketed these sweeteners “without ever manufacturing a car”. New models by firms such as Nio and Xpeng have “invigorated” the market, but the Chinese government is so anxious about fraud and waste that Beijing is ordering local governments “to investigate land use, investment and progress of EV projects initiated since 2015”.

Tesla has been on a roll. In four years the share price has soared from $40 to a peak of $383 last month. But since then it has fallen back around 20% amid fears that the stock has been overhyped. Last weekend even Tesla's founder and CEO Elon Musk warned that he felt that "our stock price is higher than we have any right to deserve" and that he wants to "tamp down those expectations".

What's getting investors so hyped up is the launch of Tesla's Model 3. Up until now the company has been a successful niche producer of luxury electric vehicles. However, this new version costs around $35,000, putting it within the range of the average family. The hope is that Tesla will bring electric cars to the masses in the way that Ford propelled car ownership itself into the mainstream.

So, is the fall in price a buying opportunity, or the sign of things to come? The company is certainly aggressively priced. It is currently making a loss, although analysts expect it to grow its revenue sevenfold by 2021, by which time it should be making money. Even if it achieves the projected sales and profit figures, however, the stock's 2021 price/earnings (p/e) ratio of roughly 18 times earnings looks high, given that most car firms trade on p/es of less than ten. The market cap of Tesla is nearly double that of Renault, even though the French carmaker has nearly ten times the revenue of the American company.

Tesla also has several problems. Firstly, staff turnover has been high, with many senior engineers and executives leaving. Major shareholders are also reportedly unhappy about the lack of independent directors on the board. The company is still burning a huge amount of cash, around $750m a quarter. While it's been quietly trying to reinvent itself as an electric battery company, its battery "gigafactory" has yet to be completed and its solar subsidiary is also losing substantial amounts of money.

An even bigger problem for Tesla is competition. Although it may be the most high-profile electric car company, it's not the only one putting a large amount of money into this area. Indeed, all the major carmakers have increased their efforts, with General Motors' Chevrolet Bolt already proving a major hit with US consumers. Volvo recently said that it will make only electric or hybrid cars from 2019. Its competitors are also investing large sums in assisted, and even fully autonomous, driving systems, nullifying Tesla's other main competitive advantage.

If Tesla looks overpriced, then Renault looks cheap, trading at less than six times earnings, and at a discount of around 20% to its net assets. It also has a 42% stake in Nissan. In the first three months of this year the two companies sold more electric cars than Tesla (36,723 versus 24,950). While the Model 3 may change this, Nissan has said that it will sell a new version of the Leaf, currently the top-selling electric car, in the autumn. This is expected to be able to do over 200 miles per charge, making it comparable with Tesla's flagship Model S (most petrol cars can do 350+).

Renault also stands to benefit from an increase in European sales as the eurozone economy picks up. French president Emmanuel Macron's proposed liberalisation of labour laws should lower costs. Overall, while Tesla looks extremely overvalued, Renault looks like a bargain. I suggest that you short Tesla at $329.3 at £12 per $1, with a stop-loss (cover) if it gets above $411. This limits your losses to £980.40. I'd also buy Renault at €82.90, at £50 per €1, with a stop-loss of €62 (a potential downside of £1,045). Because Tesla's shares are denominated in dollars and Renault's in euros, there is additional currency risk, but this can't be helped.

How our trades are doing

It's been a good week for this column's investments. IG Group's share price has jumped to 646p, which means that the trade is now over £150 in profit. The firm has reported an 8% increase in revenue for the year to 1 June 2017, while management reckons that the regulatory crackdown on the sector, especially in terms of leverage, might not be as tough as it originally anticipated.

Virgin Money has risen to 301p, which means that it is only £51 in the red. Petrobras is also £81.25 ahead. Overall, my long bets are now £383 in profit, a substantial increase from the position a fortnight ago where they were only making a profit of £62.

Even when you take into account my short position in Ocado, which is still £162 in the red, things look pretty decent. This is not to say that there isn't any need for changes. I've held gold for nearly six months and during that time it has moved in a relatively narrow range. Fed chair Janet Yellen has recently taken a more dovish tone.

However, with the crisis in the eurozone dying down (at least for the moment) and Donald Trump moderating his position on trade, there isn't any big near-term catalyst that could push it higher. I'm therefore going to recommend that you close the position, and take profits, though of course I might revisit the trade nearer the Italian elections next year if I think that there is a good enough trading opportunity.

In the last column I promised that I would come to a decision on IG Group (the owners of spread-betting firm IG Index). In contrast to my decision to ditch gold, I'm going to stick with my position on IG. The revenue growth suggests that the company's business model should be able to withstand the impact of any increased regulation. IG's move into more conventional broking is also a great way to leverage the brand name to get more money from its existing customer base.

As any entrepreneur will tell you, paying your suppliers can be among the toughest challenges facing a start-up business. That's as true now as it was in 1903, when 39-year-old motor racing enthusiast Henry Ford decided to strike out on his own.

In June that year, the Ford Motor Company was established. A thousand shares were split between 12 investors, with Ford, as vice-president and chief engineer, holding a 25.5% stake. But right from the get-go, the company was in dire straits.

The fledgling company depended on suppliers, including the Dodge brothers, to make car parts. These were assembled by a team of 40 engineers in a rented garage on Mack Avenue in Detroit. But Ford, who had yet to sell a single car, struggled to keep up with the payments.

Faced with the choice of walking away or doubling down, the Dodge brothers (who later founded their own famous car company) decided to throw their lot in with Ford. They agreed to write off $7,000, and extended a $3,000 six-month credit line in return for 10% of the company.

Not long after, things started to look up. The Ford Motor Company received its first order for three Model A cars, one of which was paid for upfront, while deposits totalling $1,320 were paid for the other two. That was just as well, seeing as the company had already blown through all but $223 of its $28,000 start-up capital.

"Who can't afford a Fordmobile?", asked an advert placed in the June edition of the Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal. Well, most people. The Model A came in two flavours: a four-seater 'Tonneau', priced at $850, while a sporty two-seater version, the 'Runabout', cost $750 – not cheap considering the average US salary in 1900 was only $438.

But Ernest Pfennig of Chicago was one of those who could, and on 23 July, he became the proud owner of a Ford. While the Model A was no runaway success, by October, the Ford Motor Company had managed to turn a $37,000 profit.

Ford and his engineers continued to tinker with his designs, and in 1908, the Model T went on sale. The Tin Lizzie' was a better hit with the motoring public, and safeguarded the Ford Motoring Company's future in the years ahead.

In the early days of motoring, cars were playthings of the wealthy, far out of reach of the average worker. But Henry Ford believed that the motor car was a necessity. He vowed to build “a motor car for the great multitude”.

“It will be large enough for the family but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces.”

He set to work finding the right suppliers and materials to make the Model T in large numbers, to enable him to do it at an affordable price.

And so on 1 October, 1908, the first “Tin Lizzie” came off the production line. It was a huge success – over the next year, Ford sold 10,607. In all, over 15 million were built by Ford's American plants before production stopped in 1927. In that time, the price dropped from $850 to $300.

It was in 1909 that Henry Ford made his often-misquoted remark, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” But in fact, the one colour you couldn't buy a Model T in was black. You could have grey, green, blue, or red. But not black. It wasn't until 1913 that Ford went monochromatic.

In 1911, Ford began assembling the Model T at its Trafford Park factory in Manchester. Initially, it was made from imported parts. But by 1924, 94% of the components were made in Britain. Between 1913 and 1923 it was the country's best-selling car.

In 1931, Ford switched its manufacturing activities to its massive new plant at Dagenham, Europe's biggest car plant. But by 2013, all that remained of Ford's vehicle production in Britain were its Bridgend and Dagenham engine plants, and its transmission factory at Halewood.