Manufacturer · EUR 880m

Scania trucks cartel: claims open after the CJEU ruling

Scania fought its conviction to the highest level. The dismissal of its appeal in 2024 sealed the EUR 880 million fine and pushed back the limitation periods.

EUR 880m
Fine definitively upheld
2017
Individual Commission decision
2024
Final CJEU ruling
2028-2029
Window for action

From refusing to settle in 2016 to an irrevocable conviction

In 2016, while Daimler, DAF, Volvo, Renault Trucks and Iveco settled with the European Commission, Scania refused to sign. The Commission pursued a separate investigation and, on 27 September 2017, imposed a fine of EUR 880 million.

Scania challenged the fine before the General Court of the European Union, then appealed to the Court of Justice. By its irrevocable ruling of 1 February 2024 in case C-251/22 P, the Court dismissed every ground raised.

That eight-year battle paradoxically gives hauliers the strongest legal footing in the whole case: the infringement is locked in at European level, and the starting point for limitation has been deferred. See our full analysis of the ruling.

Scania series

Use

Eligible acquisition years

R series

Long-haul, R380 to R560 and V8

2004 to 2014

4 series

Earlier range, 114, 124, 144, 164

1997 to 2004

Streamline

Optimised long-haul, Euro 6

2013 to 2014

G series

Regional, distribution and construction

2007 to 2014

P series

Urban distribution and municipal work above 6 tonnes

2004 to 2014

Why limitation runs to 2028-2029

Directive 2014/104/EU provides that the limitation period cannot begin to run until the decision finding the infringement has become final. Because Scania exhausted every appeal up to 2024, the starting point for the five-year period was formally deferred.

Hauliers therefore have a guaranteed window until 2028, and in some national courts 2029. By extension, this also benefits claims against the other brands in the cartel.

How your claim is calculated

The original overcharge is only part of your claim. The decisive lever is the compounding of statutory late payment interest, accrued over twelve to twenty-eight years.

C = (Vb × α) × (1 + r)t
  • C: total claimable compensation, principal and late payment interest combined
  • Vb: gross list price or net acquisition value of the vehicle
  • α: artificial overcharge applied by the cartel, between 10 and 20 %
  • r: average statutory annual interest rate applied by the court, 3 to 5 %
  • t: number of years elapsed since the original invoice was paid

Worked example: for a Scania R420 Topline bought new in 2006 at EUR 115,000 net, the 15 % overcharge is EUR 17,250. With twenty years of statutory interest at 4 % per year, the total recoverable amount reaches roughly EUR 37,775.

01

Eligibility check

Send us your invoices, lease agreements, registration documents or asset registers covering 1997 to 2014.

02

Audit and firm offer

Our lawyers and econometricians quantify your claim within four weeks.

03

Guided decision

You choose between a cash purchase of your claim within 30 days and litigation on a success-fee basis.

04

Payment released

The compensation is credited directly to your company bank account.

Frequently asked questions

Because the conviction only became final in 2024, after the Court of Justice dismissed the last appeal in case C-251/22 P. The five-year period started running from that date.

Yes. The business that paid the lease rentals or the original purchase price bore the economic overcharge, which secures its right to reparation even if the truck has since been sold.

No. The claim targets Scania AB, sanctioned in Brussels, and not the independent local dealers, who were themselves subject to the imposed price scales.

The other sanctioned manufacturers

All the analyses in this section, plus the Manufacturers hub for the overview.

Use the extended deadlines for your Scania fleet

Time is working in your favour: late payment interest keeps accruing. Free audit, no commitment.

Or write directly to contact@truckcartelclaim.com