Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal centered on software that recognized emissions tests and made certain diesel cars behave differently in the laboratory than on the road. The affected vehicles could pass U.S. emissions tests with full controls engaged, while emitting nitrogen oxides (NOx) at much higher levels during ordinary driving. The U.S. case led to consumer remedies, pollution-mitigation spending, and a separate criminal plea and civil resolutions.
What was Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal?
Dieselgate was the name commonly given to the U.S. regulatory and criminal case over Volkswagen Group’s use of test-detection software in certain diesel vehicles. The contradiction was stark: the company promoted “clean diesel” vehicles, but software enabled some cars to meet emissions limits during testing while reducing emissions controls in normal driving.
The pollutant at issue was nitrogen oxides, or NOx. EPA’s 2015 chronology said covered 2.0-liter vehicles could emit up to 40 times the applicable standard during normal operation; for certain 3.0-liter vehicles, EPA cited emissions of up to nine times the standard. Those are EPA’s reported maximums for the vehicles and circumstances it described, not a claim that every affected car emitted those amounts on every trip.
How did the VW defeat device work?
EPA said the software detected when a vehicle was undergoing an emissions test and activated full emissions controls for the test. In ordinary driving, the controls’ effectiveness was reduced. That allowed a vehicle to perform differently on a laboratory drive cycle than it did on the road.
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In its 2017 account of the government’s case, the U.S. Department of Justice described a 2014 refinement: cars began in “street mode” and switched to “dyno mode” when the software recognized testing, using steering-wheel angle recognition to improve detection. DOJ said an update was represented as addressing durability and emissions issues, while prosecutors alleged it was used to deactivate controls more quickly outside the test. This is DOJ’s description of the government’s case and allegations, rather than a standalone technical finding about every vehicle.
How was the discrepancy uncovered?
- March 2014: West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions published results of an ICCT-commissioned study. DOJ’s later account said the study identified substantial differences between on-road NOx emissions and results from standard laboratory drive-cycle tests.
- September 18, 2015: EPA issued a Clean Air Act notice to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Volkswagen Group of America concerning model-year 2009–2015 2.0-liter diesel cars. The notice made the U.S. case public.
- November 2, 2015: EPA issued a separate notice concerning certain model-year 2014–2016 3.0-liter diesel cars and SUVs. EPA said Volkswagen officials later informed the agency that the defeat device had existed in all U.S. 3.0-liter diesel models since 2009.
The investigation turned a gap between laboratory and road results into a regulatory case about intentional test detection. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy summed up the agency’s position when announcing the 2016 settlement: “Today’s settlement restores clean air protections that Volkswagen so blatantly violated.”
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Which U.S. Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche diesels were affected?
The following model-year ranges are from EPA’s affected-vehicle list for the U.S. case. The 2.0-liter group involved Volkswagen and Audi models; the 3.0-liter group also included Porsche. DOJ’s criminal-case summary used a related vehicle list with some differences in model-year or model detail, so EPA’s list is used here rather than combining the two into one scope.
| Engine group | Brand | Models and model years on EPA’s list |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0-liter | Volkswagen | Jetta (2009–2015); Jetta Sportwagen (2009–2014); Beetle and Beetle Convertible (2013–2015); Golf (2010–2015); Golf Sportwagen (2015); Passat (2012–2015) |
| 2.0-liter | Audi | A3 (2010–2015) |
| 3.0-liter | Volkswagen | Touareg (2009–2016) |
| 3.0-liter | Porsche | Cayenne (2013–2016) |
| 3.0-liter | Audi | A6 Quattro and A7 Quattro (2014–2016); A8 and A8L (2014–2016); Q5 (2014–2016); Q7 (2009–2016) |
What did the U.S. settlements and criminal case cover?
The headline 2016 figure and the later criminal penalty refer to different parts of the U.S. response. EPA’s June 2016 announcement described a package for the 2.0-liter vehicles; DOJ announced Volkswagen AG’s criminal plea and separate civil resolutions in January 2017.
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| U.S. action | What it covered | Amount and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| EPA’s 2016 2.0-liter settlement package | Consumer buybacks, lease terminations, emissions modifications, and compensation, alongside pollution mitigation and investment in green vehicle technology. | Up to $14.7 billion announced by EPA in 2016: up to $10.03 billion for the consumer program and compensation, plus $4.7 billion for pollution mitigation and green-vehicle investment. The total was not all a fine. |
| DOJ’s 2017 criminal resolution | Volkswagen AG agreed to plead guilty to three felony counts. | $2.8 billion criminal penalty announced by DOJ in 2017. |
| DOJ’s 2017 civil resolutions | Environmental, customs, and financial claims, separate from the criminal penalty and EPA’s consumer and mitigation package. | $1.5 billion in civil resolutions reported by DOJ in 2017. |
EPA said its 2.0-liter program covered nearly 500,000 U.S. model-year 2009–2015 vehicles and required an overall recall rate of at least 85 percent under the programs or additional contributions to the mitigation trust. DOJ described approximately 590,000 affected U.S. diesel vehicles in its 2017 criminal-case announcement; that broader case figure should not be substituted for EPA’s stated 2.0-liter settlement population.
The remedies were not one universal repair. EPA’s chronology records approval by EPA and the California Air Resources Board of different emissions modifications for listed 2.0-liter and 3.0-liter vehicles during 2017 and 2018, with model and transmission details varying. The settlement announcement describes the program terms at that time; it does not establish current claim eligibility or the present availability of a remedy.
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What changed after Dieselgate?
The U.S. record shows why laboratory compliance cannot by itself answer whether a vehicle controls emissions in ordinary use: in this case, test-recognition software produced different behavior under test conditions and on the road. It also shows the distinction between remedies for vehicle owners and pollution mitigation, on one hand, and corporate criminal and civil resolutions, on the other.
The case should not be read as a complete account of every proceeding outside the United States or every later claim status. Volkswagen Group’s 2025 annual report, published in 2026, reported €0.1 billion in expenses recognized in connection with the diesel issue for fiscal 2025 and said it no longer disclosed the issue separately as a special item. That is a company-reported accounting figure for that fiscal year, not a cumulative estimate of Dieselgate’s total cost.
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Further reading
For a narrative account beyond the U.S. regulatory record, W. W. Norton describes Jack Ewing’s Faster, Higher, Farther: The Inside Story of the Volkswagen Scandal as examining why the defeat devices were installed and how the fraud was carried out, concealed, and detected.
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