In a ruling that probably made a few car executives breathe a little easier (and a few million drivers breathe a little harder), the High Court has determined that most major car manufacturers did not install the infamous “defeat devices” that allowed vehicles to cheat on emissions tests. The judgment, delivered by Lady Justice Cockerill in a 369-page tome that could double as a doorstop, found that the majority of emissions-control strategies used by Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Nissan, Ford, and Peugeot-Citroen did not constitute prohibited defeat devices (PDDs).

However, the court did find that two strategies crossed the line: one in Mercedes cars that was mercifully removed in 2015, and another in some Peugeot-Citroen vehicles. So, not completely innocent, but not quite the systemic cheating many had feared. The ruling comes from a trial involving 20 sample vehicles and 880,000 motorists who claimed they were misled about emissions tests. The judge clarified that for a strategy to be a defeat device, there must be an intention to make the emissions control system behave differently when it senses a test is happening - a bar that most strategies failed to clear.

Mercedes, ever the gracious loser, welcomed the ruling but insisted it disagrees with the part where it lost, hinting at a potential appeal. Meanwhile, James Oldnall of Milberg, representing some claimants, struck a more dramatic tone: “We are pleased that the court has ruled that Mercedes installed illegal defeat devices, just like Volkswagen back in 2015. The fight is not over on this case, but the first domino has fallen.”

A further trial is scheduled for October to hash out consequences and damages. And for those keeping score, this saga only covered five manufacturers; the broader case also involves Opel, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Porsche, Jaguar Land Rover, BMW, FCA, Suzuki, Volvo, Hyundai-Kia, Toyota, and Mazda. The original Dieselgate scandal, which erupted in 2015, saw Volkswagen admit to cheating on emissions for 11 million cars worldwide, costing it £27.8 billion in fines and compensation - including £193 million paid to 91,000 British motorists. According to a report cited in the trial, excess nitrogen oxide from diesel engines caused 124,000 premature deaths and 98,000 new asthma cases in children in the UK and Europe between 2009 and 2024. But hey, at least most of the devices weren’t technically illegal.