EU court rules Mercedes owes compensation if illegal defeat devices caused damage

Defeat devices are mechanisms or software that can change vehicle emissions levels, leading to disputes over whether manufacturers use them to mask the true pollution levels of their vehicles

The European Court of Justice said if a defeat device is found to be illegal and the buyer of a vehicle with such a device has suffered damages as a result of the purchase, the carmaker is obliged to provide them with compensation.

Carmaker Mercedes-Benz must pay compensation for unauthorised so-called defeat devices in diesel cars if the buyer suffers damages, the European Court of Justice, or ECJ, has ruled. 

It is up to German courts to decide whether the software in question qualifies as a defeat device and whether its use is justified, the court said in a statement.