Volkswagen diesel owners, you’re one step closer to receiving compensation for your emissions-regulation-cheating TDI-badged VW or Audi. With the VW Group’s settlement plan getting preliminary approval, the company can begin collecting information to compensate TDI drivers as outlined by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
The compensation numbers are specific to individuals who purchased or leased a 2.0-liter diesel 2009–2015 Volkswagen Jetta, 2009–2014 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, 2010–2015 Volkswagen Golf, 2012–2015 Volkswagen Passat, 2013–2015 Volkswagen Beetle, 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, or 2010–2015 Audi A3 on or before September 18, 2015. (Note that a solution for owners of VW Group models with the 3.0-liter diesel V-6 is still pending.)
Compensation figures are divided into three categories: buyback compensation, emissions-modification compensation, and lease compensation.
Buyback Compensation
According to the court, consumers who choose to receive compensation via buyback will be given the September 2015 National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) “clean” trade-in-value figure for their vehicle after adjustment for mileage and options, as well as additional compensation in the form of “owner restitution,” defined as $2986.73 plus one-fifth of the car’s value. The court adds that no affected Volkswagen owner will receive less than $5100 in restitution.
In the case of vehicles originally purchased before September 18, 2015, but sold to another individual before June 28, 2016, Volkswagen will split restitution payments evenly between the original owner and the vehicle’s current owner, although the original owner will need to identify him- or herself by September 16, 2016.
Expected buyback compensation figures to owners under the class-action settlement, including owner restitution, for each affected model are below. Note that the court acknowledges that owners of vehicles with lower or higher than “standard” mileage may receive more or less than what’s listed, adding that if a vehicle owner’s “payment is subject to a mileage adjustment, the amount [he or she] receives may be different from what is shown below, but not less than $5100.”
2009
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$12,475 – $14,025
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$13,600 – $15,125
2010
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$18,947 – $20,627
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$20,627 – $23,267
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$15,025 – $16,877
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$15,500 – $17,447
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$13,675 – $15,350
VW Jetta Sedan TDI Cup Street Edition
$15,625 – $17,087
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$14,775 – $16,607
2011
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$21,287 – $23,267
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$23,297 – $26,867
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$17,657 – $19,817
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$18,497 – $20,657
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$16,217 – $18,347
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$18,227 – $20,357
2012
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$23,717 – $25,727
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$26,357 – $30,077
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$19,457 – $21,707
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$20,267 – $22,517
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$18,317 – $20,867
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$19,907 – $22,097
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$19,007 – $21,467
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$23,267 – $23,387
2013
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$25,517 – $27,647
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$29,357 – $33,287
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$20,627 – $23,447
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$24,047 – $26,147
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$20,657 – $23,117
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$21,377 – $23,837
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$20,777 – $23,897
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$23,357 – $25,727
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$21,587 – $24,257
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$26,807 – $26,927
2014
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$22,907 – $25,847
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$27,047 – $29,237
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$23,957 – $26,177
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$21,137 – $26,117
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$26,657 – $29,117
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$26,117 – $28,877
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$28,847 – $28,967
2015
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$31,805 – $39,413
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$34,064 – $43,998
Audi A3 TDI Prestige
$39,076 – $44,176
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$24,156 – $31,686
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$27,937 – $33,835
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI S
$21,806 – $26,700
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI SE
$24,022 – $29,306
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI SEL
$24,022 – $31,728
VW Golf SportWagen TDI S
$24,043 – $28,588
VW Golf SportWagen TDI SE
$26,282 – $30,743
VW Golf SportWagen TDI SEL
$24,022 – $32,876
VW Jetta Sedan TDI S
$21,410 – $24,696
VW Jetta Sedan TDI SE
$22,800 – $26,458
VW Jetta Sedan TDI SEL
$24,809 – $30,149
VW Passat Sedan TDI SE
$28,367 – $31,127
VW Passat Sedan TDI SEL
$32,747 – $32,867
Emissions Modification Compensation
Consumers who elect to keep their vehicle but have Volkswagen modify their car to meet emissions standards will receive the same expected restitution offered to consumers opting to have their vehicle bought back, plus free installation of any necessary modifications. Volkswagen has yet to find a viable modification for its vehicles, and the court notes that it may take until May 1, 2018 for such a system to be approved for installation. Should the company fail to find an approved solution, owners will have until June 1, 2018 to accept Volkswagen’s buyback offer.
2009
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$5100 – $5100
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$5100 – $5100
2010
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$5647 – $5927
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$5927 – $6367
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$5100 – $5302
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$5100 – $5397
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$5100 – $5100
VW Jetta Sedan TDI Cup Street Edition
$5100 – $5337
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$5100 – $5257
2011
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$6037 – $6367
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$6372 – $6967
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$5432 – $5792
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$5572 – $5932
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$5192 – $5547
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$5527 – $5882
2012
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$6442 – $6777
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$6882 – $7502
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$5732 – $6107
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$5867 – $6242
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$5542 – $5967
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$5807 – $6172
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$5657 – $6067
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$6367 – $6387
2013
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$6742 – $7097
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$7382 – $8037
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$5927 – $6397
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$6497 – $6847
VW Golf Hatchback 2D TDI
$5932 – $6342
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$6052 – $6462
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$5952 – $6472
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$6382 – $6777
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$6087 – $6532
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$6957 – $6977
2014
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$6307 – $6797
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$6997 – $7362
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI
$6482 – $6852
VW Jetta Sedan TDI
$6012 – $6842
VW Jetta SportWagen TDI
$6932 – $7342
VW Passat Sedan SE TDI
$6842 – $7302
VW Passat Sedan SEL TDI
$7297 – $7317
2015
Audi A3 TDI Premium
$7790 – $9058
Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus
$8166 – $9822
Audi A3 TDI Prestige
$9002 – $9852
VW Beetle Coupe TDI
$6515 – $7770
VW Beetle Convertible TDI
$7145 – $8128
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI S
$6123 – $6939
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI SE
$6493 – $7373
VW Golf Hatchback 4D TDI SEL
$6493 – $7777
VW Golf SportWagen TDI S
$6496 – $7254
VW Golf SportWagen TDI SE
$6869 – $7613
VW Golf SportWagen TDI SEL
$6493 – $7968
VW Jetta Sedan TDI S
$6057 – $6605
VW Jetta Sedan TDI SE
$6289 – $6899
VW Jetta Sedan TDI SEL
$6624 – $7514
VW Passat Sedan TDI SE
$7217 – $7677
VW Passat Sedan TDI SEL
$7947 – $7967
Lease Compensation
Those leasing an affected vehicle can have their lease terminated early at no charge and receive restitution that’s roughly half of the anticipated restitution that owners will receive.
- Nein! California Rejects VW Emissions Plan to Fix Diesel V-6 Models
- Volkswagen’s New Ideas: 30 EVs by 2025, Ride Sharing, and Lots of Cuts
- Volkswagen to Pay Further Penalties in California, None in Germany
Final approval of the class-action settlement is set for October 18, 2016. TDI owners and lessees can go to www.vwcourtsettlement.com to see if their specific vehicle is covered by the settlement.