If you had or have a sjoemeldiesel, you are entitled to compensation

Sjoemeldies, you’ve probably heard the term more often in recent years. These are cars – with diesel engines – that emit more in practice than on paper. Now there is good news for buyers of one of the models, they are entitled to compensation, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

When it comes to the diesel scandal, many immediately think of Volkswagen and the sub-brands Audi, Seat and Skoda. However, there are many more manufacturers who have deliberately placed the cheat software. Buyers of some Mercedes-Benz, Opel, DS, Citroën, Peugeot, Dacia and Renault are also eligible for compensation.

Compensation for fraudulent diesel buyers

Guido van Woerkom, former director of the ANWB, supports Sjoemeldies buyers with his Car Claim Foundation. “The judgment of the European Court of Justice is of unprecedented importance because it affects millions of victims in the Netherlands alone.”

According to European law, automobile manufacturers are exempt from issuing a so-called certificate of conformity. This certificate is a guarantee for buyers that the purchased vehicle meets the legal requirements of the European Union. Violation of this law will result in damages.

Amount of compensation for cheating diesel

But how much money is it really? The Amsterdam court had previously found that customers paid around 3,000 euros too much for new cheat diesels. For used models, this amount is 1,500 euros. It is still unclear whether these amounts will ultimately become the actual compensation. “It would be credit to the manufacturers to finally end this unnecessary legal battle and actually clean up their act by meeting with them,” says Woerkom.

Research into emissions from PHEVs

There is not only a lot to do with the Sjoemeldiesel, according to research, PHEVs also emit more than is stated on paper. How this works exactly, you can read in this article about how environmentally harmful plug-in hybrids actually are.