Carmakers Face UK Trial a Decade After Dieselgate Scandal (1)

Car manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Ford Motor Co. and Renault SA are facing a mass class-action style trial after about 1.6 million British car owners claimed compensation for the manipulation of their vehicles to cheat on emission tests.

The high court in London kicked of a three-month trial against five car manufacturers also including Nissan Motor Co. and a unit of Stellantis NV. All deny they used prohibited “defeat devices.”

The manufacturers decided they would “rather cheat than comply with the law,” Thomas de la Mare, a lawyer for car owners argued on Monday.

The cars didn’t have ...