France orders Tesla to halt misleading marketing over autonomous driving

Tesla’s French operations are under scrutiny following a formal directive from France’s anti-fraud agency, the DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes), which concluded the company engaged in “deceptive commercial practices” harmful to consumers. The probe, carried out between 2023 and 2024, was triggered by multiple consumer complaints lodged via a government platform.

The DGCCRF identified several violations, most notably “deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers.” While Tesla has been a leader in promoting advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), European regulators are tightening scrutiny on how such features are marketed—especially where claims of “full autonomy” may mislead consumers. The agency also cited repeated issues such as delays in refunding cancelled orders, insufficient transparency on vehicle delivery locations, and incomplete sales contracts.

The enforcement order gives Tesla four months to rectify these issues. Failure to comply will result in a daily penalty of €50,000. The measures primarily concern the marketing and sale of Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature in the French market.

Tesla has yet to release an official statement in response to the findings.
This regulatory action comes at a challenging time for Tesla in Europe, where the company is facing increased competitive pressure, a stagnating model lineup, and shifting public sentiment. According to industry observers, Tesla’s declining brand perception has been fuelled by CEO Elon Musk’s political associations, particularly his support for US President Donald Trump’s administration.

economie.gouv.fr (official statement from the DGCCRF; in French), france24.com, carscoops.com