DIESELGATE ROLLS ON - OVER 150,000 MANIPULATED CARS IN SWEDEN
Following the recent conviction of four Volkswagen executives in Germany, the question is being raised again: Why are over 150,000 tampered diesel cars still on the road in Sweden, despite the known health risks? Dieselgate.Legal is now urging Swedish car owners to claim the compensation they are entitled to.
Almost a decade after the Dieselgate scandal broke in the US, four former executives have been convicted of fraud, and the scandal's effects linger in both courtrooms and the air we breathe. These convictions are an important milestone in the fight against manipulation in the car industry and highlight once again the far-reaching consequences for health, the environment and car owners in Sweden. 'This is health and consumer fraud. People have bought cars that don't live up to their promises,' says Professor Kai Borgeest, Director of the Centre for Automotive Electronics and Internal Combustion Engines at the University of Aschaffenburg in Germany.
We spoke to Professor Borgeest about his book, Manipulation of Exhaust Gas Values: Technical, Health, Legal and Political Background of the Emissions Scandal (Springer, 2025), in which he examined what has become one of the biggest industrial frauds of the 21st century.
Dieselgate is an environmental crime and a major health problem. A British study estimates that 16,000 deaths in the UK can be attributed to elevated emissions associated with the scandal. Although exact figures for Sweden are not yet available, Professor Borgeest says that the health risks are very real, particularly for children and the elderly. He further explains that larger cities such as Stockholm, with their higher population densities, increase the risks.
Despite the revelations, hundreds of thousands of cars with manipulated software are still driving on European roads. So why are these cars still allowed to drive on Swedish roads? According to Mr Borgeest, this is mainly due to the authorities' passivity. The authorities have failed to control, take responsibility for and follow up on the issue, both in the EU and in Sweden. He also points out that although EU legislation on emissions is common, supervision, sanctions and prosecution are national issues.
'Thousands of Germans have already received compensation. Swedish car owners deserve the same redress as other European consumers," said Theis Klauberg.
The Dieselgate scandal, which broke in 2015, revealed that several car manufacturers had deliberately installed illegal defeat devices — software that manipulates
emissions tests. Consequently, these diesel cars emit significantly higher levels of harmful substances during real-world driving than was revealed by the tests.
What can you do as a car owner?
Thanks to a class action that reached the Supreme Court, thousands of car owners in Germany have already been compensated. Now, Swedish car owners also can seek redress through lawyer Theis Klauberg, who successfully pursued the case in Germany and is now offering his services to Swedish consumers. Dieselgate Legal provides expert legal assistance to those affected by the diesel scandal, aiming to ensure fair compensation. A link to the list of car models covered by Dieselgate can be found here, where consumers can find out if their vehicle is affected and what their rights are: https://dieselgate.legal/vehicles-affected