A UK court has approved a £56 million compensation plan for millions of consumers who lost money through inflated car delivery charges.
Former Which? consumer expert Mark McLaren urged people to sign up for the payments, which can be made through Nectar points, charitable donations or direct bank transfers in the coming months.
The case stems from the European Commission's 2018 decision to fine shipping companies MOL, K Line, NYK, WWL/EUKOR and CSAV a total of 395 million euros (£340 million) for fixing vehicle transport prices.
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has approved the distribution of £55.87 million to consumers and businesses who bought or leased new cars or vans from 37 brands between 2006 and 2015.
Those who bought vehicles from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen, Renault, Honda, Hyundai, and Kia, along with 24 other major manufacturers, are owed compensation.
Individual payouts start at £25 for the first vehicle, with an extra £5 for vehicles two to six and at least £2.50 for each additional eligible vehicle.
Mr McLaren said: "Signing up now is the best way to be first in line for compensation.
"With everything now fully approved, the distribution of settlement monies can be distributed later this year.
"Those already signed up will be contacted as soon as the distribution is open and will be directed to our online claim form to get back the money you're owed.
"We've done everything we can to make this process as easy as possible for those affected.
"This settlement has been secured on behalf of consumers and businesses who were overcharged for new vehicles, because of hidden agreements between companies they'd never heard, which secretly cost them money.
"They now deserve to get that money back."
Businesses that bought new vehicles for their own use are also eligible, including car rental, delivery, construction, maintenance, and fleet management companies.
Government institutions across the UK are owed compensation too, with tens of thousands of vehicles bought or leased by public sector organisations and local authorities during the relevant period.
Around 80% of all new vehicles in the UK are shipped in from abroad, and an estimated 17.8 million vehicles were affected by the overcharge.
Anyone who purchased or leased a new vehicle in the UK between October 18 2006 and September 6 2015 can sign up at www.cardeliverycharges.com/register.
