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7th November 2023
11:51am GMT
Millions of BMW drives could be in line for a £10,000 payment.
The German car giant is one of a number of manufacturers who were caught up in the infamous 'diesel dupe' that shook the motor industry in 2015.
The main culprit was Volkswagen, which was found to have installed software on many of their diesel vehicles which could cheat emissions tests in the US, where the manufacturer was making a big push to sell diesel cars specifically because of their supposed low emissions.
Known as 'defeat devices', the software was able to detect when the vehicle was being tested and could artificially lower the car's emissions.
This helped car models pass lab tests designed to make sure the vehicles weren't emitting too many harmful gases.
But once they were analysed on roads, the International Council on Clean Transportation found that the cars emitted levels of the gases that dramatically exceeded emission rules.
Specifically, they produced more harmful nitrogen oxide than Volkswagen had claimed.
Following this, several other car manufacturers were investigated over similar allegations - including BMW in 2017.
German authorities investigated BMW and charged them alongside Mercedes-Benz and The Volkswagen Group for colluding to limit the introduction of clean emissions technology.
During the investigation, BMW admitted to installing cheating emissions software in 11,400 “by mistake”, ClaimExperts reports.
If you owned or leased a diesel BMW that was made between 2009 and July 2016, it could have had a built-in defeat device.
Whether you bought the car outright or on finance, direct from a manufacturer or a third party, you could be entitled to compensation of up to £10,000.
It also doesn't matter if you no longer own the vehicle. It's up to you to take the initiative and chase up any claim though. To find out if you're eligible for a payout, you can visit the Diesel Claim website.
Here, you can simply enter your car's registration number and fill out a few quick questions, with the website then telling you if you are entitled to any cash after checking your vehicle.
It's a no-win-no-fee basis as well, so you don't have anything to lose.
According to the site, motorists could receive compensation worth up to 75 percent of the vehicle's original price.
Other car giants who are accused of misleading consumers include Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen, Seat, Nissan and Vauxhall.
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