Capital | DieselGate: the environmental charter could allow for reimbursement of the purchase price of the car
The French Supreme Court (Cour de cassation), in a ruling dated September 24th 2025, affirmed that “delivering a tampered vehicle that passes pollution tests constitutes a serious breach justifying the pure and simple cancellation of the sale. The Court also clarified the statute of limitations for legal action.
Interviewed on this new chapter of the hashtag#DieselGate case, Maxime de Guillenchmidt, litigation partner within the firm, commented on two main points:
- The recognition of the environmental non-conformity defect, an unprecedented confirmation aligned with the Court of Justice of the European Union.
- The clarification of the 5-year period for legal action, which does not start from the delivery of the vehicle, but from the “discovery” of the non-conformity defect—a development that opens up new legal remedies for those who meet the criteria.
For more information, read Justine Pérou’s article down below.
