VW settles emissions class action in Germany with three-quarters of claimants

Volkswagen has reached settlements with 200,000 of the 260,000 claimants participating in a class-action lawsuit brought by German consumer group VZBV over the carmaker's rigging of diesel emissions tests, the carmaker said on Monday.

A further 21,000 cases were still being reviewed for possible payouts of €1,350 to €6,250 (roughly R27,703 to R128,264) per car and the deadline for participating in the settlement has been extended to April 30, VW added. The exact amount depends on the age and model of the owner's car.

Volkswagen will pay out a total of €620m (roughly R12,743,503,560). It had set aside €830m (roughly R17,067,771,400) to cover the costs of settlements with all participants in the VZBV class action.

The deal marks a further step in the German carmaker's efforts to make amends after it admitted in 2015 to using illegal software to cheat US diesel engine tests.

The effort has cost Volkswagen more than $30bn (roughly R567,987,000,000) in vehicle refits, fines and provisions.

Nearly all US owners of affected cars agreed to take part in a $25bn settlement (roughly R472,795,000,000) in 2016 in the US, but VW has said there was no legal basis for consumers in Germany to seek compensation due to differences in law.