The Case
The Investigation
On 30 January 2024, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of several major tyre manufacturers as part of an investigation into possible breaches of EU competition law. The suspected conduct concerns the market for new replacement tyres sold in the European Economic Area, including tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks, and buses.
The Commission is investigating whether manufacturers may have coordinated prices or other commercial strategies, including through public communications and media channels. The investigation does not concern tyres supplied as original equipment with newly manufactured vehicles. However, it may affect a broad range of businesses and consumers that purchased replacement tyres through manufacturers, distributors, dealers, leasing companies, or other intermediaries.
Companies and individuals that purchased replacement tyres during the potentially affected period may therefore have paid inflated prices and may be entitled to assess a potential claim for compensation. As the Commission’s investigation remains ongoing, the existence, duration, and scope of any infringement have not yet been finally established.
Why This Matters
Replacement tyres represent a significant and recurring cost for many European businesses, including transport operators, delivery companies, leasing providers, public transport operators, and companies managing vehicle fleets. If competition in the replacement tyre market was restricted, purchasers may have paid more than they would have under normal competitive conditions. The European Commission has not yet issued a final infringement decision, but its investigation indicates that potentially affected businesses should already consider preserving invoices and reviewing their historical tyre purchases. This can help determine whether a potential compensation claim may exist once the scope and outcome of the investigation become clearer. With LitFin’s support, potentially affected companies and individuals can assess and, where appropriate, pursue their claims through a professionally managed process without upfront legal costs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens after registration?
After registration, our team will contact you to explain the tyre case and request basic information about your replacement tyre purchases. Where appropriate, you may sign a confidentiality agreement before providing supporting data, such as invoices, suppliers, purchase dates and volumes.
Our legal and economic experts will then assess your potential claim. If you decide to proceed, you will sign the relevant claim agreement, after which LitFin will coordinate the process and keep you informed until the matter is resolved through settlement or court proceedings.
We then handle the case and keep you updated until it’s resolved—either by settlement or court judgement.
What documents do you need from us?
To assess your potential claim, we need basic information about your replacement tyre purchases. This may include invoices, annual purchase volumes and values, suppliers, purchase dates, countries of purchase, tyre categories and vehicle types. Please indicate whether the tyres were purchased directly from manufacturers or through dealers, distributors, leasing providers or other intermediaries. We may initially work with a limited sample of documents and request additional data only if needed for a more detailed assessment.
For which tyres purchases can we claim?
Potential claims may relate to purchases of new replacement tyres made during the period affected by the suspected anticompetitive conduct. As the European Commission has not yet confirmed the precise duration of any infringement, we recommend preserving and providing purchase records for at least the past ten years, where available.
The investigation covers replacement tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks and buses purchased directly from manufacturers or indirectly through dealers, distributors, leasing providers and other intermediaries. Tyres supplied as original equipment with newly purchased vehicles are not currently considered part of the investigated market.
When will I receive the money?
It is not currently possible to determine when compensation may be received. The European Commission’s investigation is still ongoing, and the duration of any subsequent claim will depend on factors such as the final decision, settlement negotiations, the selected legal route and the speed of any court proceedings.
Competition damages claims often take several years to resolve. LitFin will manage the process and keep you informed of all material developments throughout the case.
Our tyres were included in a service or fleet-management package. Can we still join?
Potentially, yes. Your company may still have a potential claim where replacement tyres were supplied as part of a fixed-fee maintenance, tyre-management, leasing or fleet-service package rather than purchased separately.
The assessment will depend on whether the tyre-related component of the service can be identified or reasonably estimated from invoices, contracts, service records or information provided by the supplier. If your documentation does not show tyre costs separately, LitFin can review the available data and assess whether the relevant purchases can still be quantified.
How much does it cost to join?
There are no upfront costs. LitFin finances the legal, economic, expert and procedural costs associated with pursuing the claim. If compensation is successfully recovered, LitFin receives a pre-agreed success fee deducted from the recovered amount. If the claim is unsuccessful, you do not reimburse the funded costs.
What is the tyre cartel case about?
The case concerns suspected anticompetitive conduct by several major tyre manufacturers. On 30 January 2024, the European Commission carried out unannounced inspections as part of an investigation into possible price coordination, including through public communications, in breach of Article 101 TFEU. The investigation covers new replacement tyres for passenger cars, vans, trucks and buses sold in the European Economic Area. The Commission has not yet issued a final infringement decision, and the inspections do not establish that competition law was breached.
Why should my company consider acting now?
Collecting historical tyre purchase data and supporting documents can take time, particularly where purchases were made through multiple suppliers, dealers, leasing providers or service arrangements. Starting early allows the relevant records to be preserved and the legal and economic assessment to be prepared efficiently. Potential competition damages claims may also be subject to limitation periods that differ between jurisdictions. Requesting a preliminary assessment is free and non-binding, but it helps your company understand its position and prepare before important evidence is lost or the available time becomes more limited.