Three Dutch claim foundations are suing Stellantis, General Motors entities, and Dutch dealers in the District Court of Amsterdam over diesel cars they say carried banned defeat devices. In July 2025, the court found prohibited devices in Opel diesels and in Euro 6b Peugeot, Citroën, and DS diesels. Stellantis may still rebut a presumption for Euro 5 Peugeot, Citroën, and DS cars before the court turns to liability.
Latest development Jan 21, 2026
On January 21, 2026, the District Court of Amsterdam set the terms for Stellantis’s counter-evidence on Euro 5 Peugeot, Citroën, and DS diesels. Stellantis may file written documents and open a database of original software calibrations. It granted a request for direct evidence-taking in France and refused confidentiality restrictions on the software. A January 28 correction set March 25, 2026, for Stellantis’s filing.
Why it matters
The case will decide whether Stellantis and its Dutch dealers must compensate owners of diesel cars that the court found carried prohibited defeat devices. The Consumers’ Association says hundreds of thousands of car owners are affected.
Background
Three foundations brought collective actions for Dutch buyers and lessees of Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, and DS diesel cars sold from September 2009. Stichting Emission Claim issued its summons on July 19, 2021. Stichting Car Claim, which litigates with the support of the Dutch Consumers’ Association (Consumentenbond), and Stichting Diesel Emissions Justice followed in January 2022. The defendants include Stellantis N.V., the Amsterdam-based parent of the brands, General Motors entities including the former Adam Opel GmbH, and Dutch dealers. They contest the claims.
On August 16, 2023, the court ruled on its jurisdiction, the collective action regime that applies, the admissibility of the foundations, and the applicable substantive law. On July 30, 2025, it held that it may decide whether the cars contain prohibited defeat devices even though authorities had granted type approvals. It found that Opel Euro 5 and Euro 6b diesels used a temperature window that reduced or disabled the emission control system at certain temperatures. It found that Peugeot, Citroën, and DS Euro 6b diesels did not always inject enough AdBlue in normal use. For Euro 5 Peugeot, Citroën, and DS cars, it presumed prohibited devices, subject to counter-evidence.
On January 21, 2026, the court allowed Stellantis to offer that counter-evidence through written documents and a database of original software calibrations. It granted a request for direct evidence-taking in France and refused Stellantis’s request to restrict how the foundations may use the software. A correction of January 28, 2026, set March 25, 2026, for Stellantis’s filing. The court must still decide whether the defendants are liable and what compensation, if any, is owed.
Stichting Diesel Emissions Justice brings a separate collective action over Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Jeep diesels. In that case, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands on September 25, 2026, set aside rulings of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal on jurisdiction and transitional law. It sent the case to the Court of Appeal of The Hague.
Timeline 5 events
-
OrderCourt sets terms for Stellantis’s counter-evidence on Euro 5 cars
The court allowed written evidence and a software database, asked French authorities to permit direct evidence-taking in France, and refused confidentiality restrictions. A January 28 correction set March 25, 2026, for the filing.
ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2026:1674Correction judgment of January 28, 2026, ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2026:1678
-
JudgmentCourt finds banned defeat devices in Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, and DS diesels
The court found prohibited devices in Opel Euro 5 and Euro 6b cars and in Euro 6b Peugeot, Citroën, and DS cars. It presumed the same for Euro 5 Peugeot, Citroën, and DS cars, subject to counter-evidence.
-
JudgmentCourt rules on jurisdiction and admissibility of the three foundations
In the first phase, the court decided on its jurisdiction, the applicable collective action regime, the foundations’ admissibility, the bundling of claims, and the applicable substantive law.
-
FilingCar Claim and Diesel Emissions Justice file parallel actions
Stichting Car Claim issued its summons on January 17, 2022, and Stichting Diesel Emissions Justice followed a day later.
ECLI:NL:RBAMS:2023:5252Rechtspraak central register of collective actions
-
FilingStichting Emission Claim files collective action against Stellantis
The foundation sued Stellantis N.V., the Dutch Peugeot, Citroën, and Opel importers, and General Motors LLC in the District Court of Amsterdam over Opel, Peugeot, and Citroën diesels.