Law firm urges Volkswagen drivers to keep tax and fuel receipts

Irish motorists caught up in the Volkswagen emissions scandal have been advised to compile their fuel receipts and proof of motor tax bills because they could be entitled to damages.

Ernest J Cantillon Solicitors in Cork said they have been inundated with queries from concerned motorists after it emerged that some Volkswagen vehicles used software to alter diesel emissions in order to pass emissions tests.

Volkswagen has confirmed that it will contact the owners of some 79,348 vehicles in Ireland in the “near future” to correct their vehicles.

Cantillon Solicitors urged anyone who thinks their vehicle may be affected to begin gathering specific paperwork relating to the car make and model; year of manufacture; date of purchase; where it was purchased; evidence of purchase price and any other sale documents which might be needed if legal proceedings are issued. The legal firm also advised motorists to keep annual car tax receipts, and receipts to determine the average weekly fuel cost.

“The misrepresentation of those vehicle emissions is not only a blatant breach of contract but also a breach of legislation,” a spokesperson for the law firm said.

“The cars were fraudulently misrepresented to customers. They do not comply with the description by which they were sold. Many of the car owners who have contacted us bought these vehicles because of the lower tax bracket associated with the lower emissions. If this recall and rectification impacts the cars’ emissions, it may impact on what Irish drivers pay in motor tax.”

Cantillon Solicitors said there was the possibility that if revised vehicle registration certificates are issued with higher emissions rates, the vehicle’s rate of motor tax will be affected.

“This may give rise to a claim for compensation for the increased tax payable,” the spokesperson said.