February 23, 2025 – The Italian Competition Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, AGCM for short) has recently launched investigations into four automobile manufacturers: Tesla, BYD, Stellantis, and Volkswagen, accusing them of suspected unfair business practices.
According to the AGCM, these four carmakers are charged with providing misleading information to consumers regarding the performance of their electric vehicles. The authority alleges that these companies may have violated consumer protection regulations in their advertising of electric cars’ driving range, battery capacity decay, and limitations on standard battery warranties.
The AGCM stated that the information published on these carmakers’ official websites about the driving range of their electric vehicles is “too general and even contradictory.” It noted that these websites did not clearly specify which factors could affect the advertised maximum driving range and the extent of their impact on the actual range. Furthermore, the agency pointed out that the carmakers’ websites failed to provide “clear and complete information” about the battery capacity of their electric vehicles, which can decline due to daily use. Additionally, there are numerous restrictions in the warranty terms offered to consumers.
On February 20, 2025, the AGCM, along with the Italian Financial Crime Police (Guardia di Finanza), conducted inspections at the headquarters and factories of the four aforementioned carmakers in Italy. Currently, the AGCM is carrying out independent investigations into each of the carmakers.
