How a group claim works in the UK, and where we are

There is no UK equivalent of the American class action for a case like this. Instead, large numbers of individual claims can be managed together under what the courts call a Group Litigation Order. A specialist law firm runs them as one case, usually on a no-win-no-fee basis, with a litigation funder covering the costs. The diesel emissions claims against Volkswagen and Mercedes were run this way.

Firms take these cases on when three things are true: there are enough claimants, the losses are real and documented, and the legal arguments are strong enough to pass their funder’s assessment. We can help with the first two. The third is for lawyers to judge.

Where we are now

We are at the first step: finding out how many of us there are and what has happened to us. When the numbers justify it, we will approach group-litigation firms with the data and ask them to assess the case. If a firm takes it on, everyone who registered and gave permission will be told which firm it is and how to join. Joining will be your choice.

Who is affected

Not only those who have lost a car. The diesel emissions claims were brought by owners whose cars never failed; the loss was that the car was worth less once the truth came out. The same logic applies here. An EV6 or Ioniq 5 built before the change is worth less, costs more to insure and more to protect than it would if the weakness did not exist, whether or not it has been stolen. A group claim on that basis needs every owner. If you lease or finance your car, you are affected too, and we ask about that on the form.

What we cannot promise

We cannot promise a claim will go ahead, that a firm will take it, or that anyone will receive compensation. The legal position for owners is genuinely difficult: manufacturers will argue the cars met the standards of their time and that theft is a crime, not a defect. We think that argument looks very different when a dealer sells a car in 2025 with a weakness that was well known and already designed out of newer cars. A court has not yet decided that question.

What you can do now

• Register your case
• Keep every document: purchase invoice, crime reference, insurance correspondence, anything the dealer or Kia has said in writing
• Complain to the dealer that sold you the car, and to Kia Customer Services, in writing, and keep their replies
• Tell other owners. Facebook groups, owners’ forums and local news are where most people will find us