Register to secure compensation from Volkswagen and others!

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How will joining help me?

For years, Volkswagen has influenced the results of emission tests with 'cheating software'. This has proved both harmful to the environment and to your wallet. As an affected car owner, you are left with a car that has decreased in value. A car that, even after applying Volkswagen’s software update, suffers from technical defects and consumes more fuel than before.

The Car Claim foundation wants to do something about that! Together, we are working towards a suitable solution for all affected European Volkswagen drivers. We do this by seeking a dialogue with interest groups at home (the Netherlands) and abroad. We are currently talking with politicians, consumer and environmental organizations and the automotive industry. Also, affected VW drivers can register with the foundation, after which we will record their personal experiences.

This allows the foundation to speak with the collective voice of the injured car owner. That’s what makes us strong! Not just during the lawsuit that we are currently conducting in the Netherlands on behalf of about 180.000 injured VW drivers, but also at the European level. The goal: to force Volkswagen to take steps that really solve the problem. And to not leave the bill with the car owner.

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What we are committed to

For individual consumers, it is often financially impossible to obtain legal profit against a large party like Volkswagen. But through the power of the collective, we can make a fist as a foundation. We want to arrive at a reasonable, fair and acceptable solution for all European owners who have been injured by the diesel scandal.

When Volkswagen makes an actual settlement offer, every individual VW driver will be able to decide to agree with it or not. In short: you will keep ownership of your own claim. This means that you are free to start legal action yourself after your registration.

The Car Claim Foundation is a non-profit organisation. Registration is free. Should you choose to agree to a possible settlement offer between the foundation and Volkswagen, a maximum of 25 percent of that compensation amount is intended for the external financiers of our foundation. 

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Beware: claim expiry!

Legal claims expire at a certain moment. At that point, you will no longer be able to claim a reimbursement. The first limitation period that Volkswagen may possibly invoke is 31 December 2018. Don't want to be left empty-handed? Be sure to submit your claim before this date! As a non-Dutch car owner, your interests are not represented by the Foundation in the proceedings before the Amsterdam Court. You can however submit your claim by joining the so-called Musterfeststellungsklage in Germany. The Musterfeststellungsklage is a legal procedure in Germany against Volkswagen AG, Audi, Skoda and SEAT regarding vehicles with type EA189-diesel engines. In the Musterfeststellungsklage, a number of legal issues will be clarified, such as whether the behavior of Volkswagen AG is unlawful. The individual claim for damages to which each individual driver is entitled is not yet awarded in the course of the Musterfeststellungsklage.

In principle, you can join the Musterfeststellungsklage on an individual basis. Please bear in mind, however, that only a proper registration leads to the intended interruption of the statute of limitation of your damages claim. In order not to jeopardize that the statute of limitation elapses, we recommend the consultation of a law firm. Further information on registration can be obtained from our German legal partner www.vw-verhandlung.de. VW-Verhandlung is a consortium of the German law firms Baum Reiter & Collegen (Düsseldorf) and Gansel Rechtsanwälte (Berlin).

 

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Polluting cars banned more and more often

In the autumn of 2015, the American environmental agency EPA discovered that Volkswagen's diesel cars only meet the emission requirements during official laboratory tests because of cheating software. Once on the road, the cars emit far too much of the harmful carbon dioxide (NOx).

The high emission values ​​of Volkswagen diesels are bad for your wallet. Reputational damage will cause the residual value of your car to drop. In addition, many of the affected cars suffer from technical defects and inconveniences after executing Volkswagen’s software update. But the environment also suffers damage from the excessive emission of harmful substances. It is no coincidence that more and more European cities are banning polluting diesel vehicles by setting up diesel-free zones and environmental zones. With these so-called driving bans, certain diesel cars (including those from Volkswagen) are no longer allowed to enter the city centre.

This is good for the environment, but very inconvenient for you as a VW owner. You thought you were buying a cleaner car than you now have. And because of the growing number of driving bans, you are now unintentionally being inconvenienced because of this. Our Foundation is committed to finding a suitable solution for European consumers. A solution in which Volkswagen carries the burden of these consequences, instead of you.

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Compensation

The goal of our Foundation is to prevent the consequences of dieselgate from being at your expense and risk. Our intention is to safeguard you from all the disadvantages that you are currently experiencing as a VW owner. You should have the peace of mind of using a car that does meet the actual environmental standards, without (financial) risk.

As a Dutch foundation, we can not claim direct financial compensation from Volkswagen through the courts. We will, however, seek appropriate compensation for you. This compensation can (in part) take the form of a financial reimbursement. Other, more indirect, possibilities are, for example, a guaranteed trade-in premium.

In short, our efforts are focused on an appropriate settlement, of which a financial compensation may be a part. In order to determine what is appropriate, we conduct daily consultations with, among others, political entities (the European Commission and the European Parliament), consumer organisations, environmental and health organisations, and the German car industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fausto Pocar

Fausto Pocar

'It is worrying that Volkswagen continues to refuse to accept even the smallest amount of responsibility in Europe. The solutions offered up until now are far from sufficient to compensate for the damage suffered.'

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GuidoVanWoerkom

Guido van Woerkom

‘From good infrastructure to affordable mobility: as director of the Royal Dutch Touring Club, I have always stood up for the interests of motorists.

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Arie van der Steen

Arie van der Steen

‘After the VW debacle, the company in the US soon made settlements with injured consumers, as was the case in countries like South Korea and Canada. So why not in Europe? Over here, we haven't heard a thing. So far Volkswagen has mostly excelled in trivializing the damage suffered.'

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Marten Oosting

Marten Oosting

'Why I said yes when asked to sit on the Board of Trustees of the foundation? Simple: because I believe it is important that companies behave in a socially responsible manner. In recent years, the attention for corporate social responsibility has grown enormously.

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Hans de Savornin Lohman

Hans de Savornin Lohman

‘Volkswagen, one of the best-known and most powerful companies in the world, has deliberately misled the public.

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Jan Zielonka

Jan Zielonka

Multinational companies such as Volkswagen should not only be subject to law, but also comply with ethical, environmental and societal standards. Secrecy, unequal treatment of customers and spreading misleading information reveal a pathological corporate culture.

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