Volkswagen refuses to refund British drivers: How to check if your car is affected by emissions fraud

Volkswagen reached another disastrous chapter of the diesel and petrol emissions scandal on Tuesday (24 November), when the carmaker announced it would not be compensating British customers whose cars have the cheating software.

In the US, VW has pledged a total of $1,000 to owners of rigged cars. Half of the refund will be paid out in cash and the other half in vouchers.

Across Europe, however, customers have been left upset after the manufacturer announced it will not compensate drivers whose cars are affected. The company has since issued a recall of some 11 million cars around the world.

Not only Volkswagen's own brand but selected Seat, Audi and Skoda cars also have the software installed. News that the car manufacturer rigged petrol as well as diesel vehicles has added to customers' woes.

Since then, a Change.org petition has taken off in the US to pass a bill through congress that would protect whistleblowers in the automotive industry. Comparable laws are already active in the financial services sector.

Volkswagen and its subsidiary models; Seat, Audi and Skoda have all launched websites which allow customers to check if their car has been affected by the rigging scandal. When the system was only launched for diesel engines, customers only knew that the cheat "inconsistencies" was only discovered in cars with 1.4 litre engines.

Now, using the VIN number, which can be found on the inside of the vehicle, often on the dashboard at the driver's side, near the windshield, customers can check whether their car has been affected. The VIN number looks like this, according to VW: 'WVWZZZ1JZXW000010'. It can be found through filling in the registration number on VW's website if the customer cannot find it in the car. The government's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency can help to recover registration numbers for drivers who do not have direct access to their papers.

VW has already sent out the first batch of recall letters but if you have not received one, you can run your details through the websites below;

Check here to see if your Volkswagen, Audi, Seat or Skoda has the software installed.