Nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the US were fitted with defeat device software to switch engines to a cleaner mode when they were being tested for emissions.
Federal Judge Sean Cox in Detroit followed the deal negotiated by VW and the US Justice Department.
'This is a case of deliberate, massive fraud perpetrated by VW management,'said Cox.
'This case also involves a failure of the VW supervisory board, which is government, labor and shareholders.'
The sentence was ordered Friday, six weeks after the German automaker pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice.