Final £54 million settlement secured for UK consumers and businesses in collective action against Car Shipping Cartel — Class Representative Mark McLaren and Scott+Scott UK achieve landmark settlement on behalf of millions of UK consumers and businesses totaling £92.75 million
LONDON — Mark McLaren today announced a £54 million proposed settlement with the remaining two defendants in the Car Carrier Cartel: MOL and NYK. The approval of this settlement by the Competition Appeal Tribunal will conclude the claim against the Car Carrier Cartelists and take the total amount recovered to £92.75 million following earlier settlements with “K” Line, WWL/EUKOR, and CSAV in January 2025 and December 2023 respectively. The settlement hearing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal has been set for 15 January 2026 with a half day in reserve on 16 January.
The action against some of the world’s leading shipping companies was brought by consumer champion and class representative Mark McLaren and was originally valued at £150 million. The cartel affected the shipments of 17 million new cars and vans to the UK from a variety of major European brands, including Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen, and Renault that were sold or leased by UK consumers and businesses between October 2006 and September 2015. This settlement follows a nine week trial against MOL and NYK which started in January 2025.
Consumers and businesses who wish to receive updates about the settlement and distribution and to find out if they are entitled to receive damages should register here.
Mark McLaren, Class Representative, said: “Since I launched this case five years ago, I was confident that this claim would result in significant damages being awarded to UK consumers and businesses. I am pleased that this historic settlement agreement not only resolves wrongful anti-competitive, cartelist actions, but also allows for class members to finally be compensated for their financial losses. This outcome also shows how the UK’s opt-out regime is working exactly as intended, giving both consumers and businesses an effective and fair route to recover monies owed as a result of cartel behaviour that they could never pursue on their own.”
Cian Mansfield, Managing Partner of Scott+Scott UK LLP said: “This settlement marks a significant milestone for UK consumers and businesses that paid higher shipping fees for new purchased or leased vehicles as a result of the cartel as it concludes the litigation and guarantees them significant compensation. This case is groundbreaking as it is the first time damages will be distributed to UK businesses under the opt-out regime. We are delighted that five years of hard work on behalf of the class has paid off.”
Charlie Morris, Chief Investment Officer of Woodsford said: “Woodsford is proud to have funded Mark McLaren in holding these cartelists to account for their anticompetitive misconduct. At a time when the Department for Business and Trade is carrying out a review of the collective action regime, this action is the paradigm example of why the regime is so important. It has allowed thousands of UK consumers and businesses to access justice and receive meaningful compensation when they might not otherwise have been able to do so. Particularly given that a significant proportion of these settlements is guaranteed to be paid to consumers, businesses and/or charity, this action can and should be recognised as a real success story.”
McLaren, formerly at the Consumers’ Association ‘Which?’, instructed Scott+Scott UK LLP, a complex dispute resolution law firm whose solicitors have extensive experience in competition and group litigation. In addition, the class representative had instructed a highly skilled barrister team led by Sarah Ford KC and Sarah O’Keefe of Brick Court Chambers and Nicholas Gibson of Matrix Chambers. The collective action was funded by Woodsford, a leading global collective redress and litigation finance business.