Mission and vision
Car-Pass is a non-profit organisation with a legal mission of general interest. Since its inception, Car-Pass has ensured buyer protection and fair trade in the used vehicle sector by combating odometer fraud. Car-Pass does this by making the odometer and maintenance history available in a transparent manner, as well as other relevant information as prescribed by the law dated 11 June 2004.
Board of Directors
All stakeholders involved are represented on the association’s board of directors. It is statutorily composed as follows:
- 2 directors on behalf of FEBIAC
- 2 directors on behalf of TRAXIO
- 2 directors on behalf of the recognised vehicle inspection companies
- 2 directors on behalf of the Touring and VAB automobile clubs
- 1 managing director responsible for operational management
- 1 observer on behalf of the Federal Public Service for the Economy
- 1 observer on behalf of the Federal Public Service for Mobility and Transport
The current Chairman of the Board of Directors is Mr. Didier Perwez.
History
Before the introduction of the Car-Pass, fraudulent rolling back of odometer readings before selling used vehicles was a widespread phenomenon in Belgium. An estimated 60,000 to 100,000 vehicles underwent this “rejuvenation treatment” every year. Obviously, this was a problem for private buyers. Not only did they pay too much for their dream vehicle, but they were also often confronted with high unexpected repair costs afterwards as well. This was not good news for the automotive sector: their image suffered and it caused unfair competition.
This is why all the stakeholders involved (the automobile federations, the automobile clubs and the vehicle inspection companies) sat down with the government. This resulted in the law of 11 June 2004 to curb vehicle odometer fraud, which led to the creation of the Car-Pass non-profit organisation in March 2006. Car-Pass is a unique and successful form of public-private partnership.
The first Car-Pass was delivered on 1 December 2006. The 10 million mark was reached at the beginning of 2019.
Car-Pass proved to be very effective in combating odometer fraud from the start. By creating transparency about odometer history, the number of fraud cases dropped drastically. A few years after its introduction, we counted fewer than 2,000 cases of fraud per year. However, fraud involving imported used vehicles remained a problem.
This is why the law was amended in 2018 and, from 1 January 2020, required manufacturers and importers to forward odometer readings from their central database to Car-Pass when importing a vehicle into Belgium. This caused import fraud to fall to 75%. Importers have been required to share with Car-Pass an odometer reading for their connected vehicles (registered in Belgium) four times a year since 1 January 2020. This has now grown into an important data stream.
This change in the law means every Car-Pass now contains additional useful information for buyers. The Car-Pass document now shows the Euro standard that the vehicle complies with, the CO2 emissions, and whether a Post-Accident Vehicle Inspection or recall action is required.
The House approved a second amendment to the law in December 2022. A legal obligation to forward the odometer reading and description of the work carried out to Car-Pass whenever a garage works on a vehicle was introduced from 1 January 2024. As such, the Car-Pass evolves into a digital maintenance booklet.
Over the coming years, the share of electric vehicles on the used market will grow. Given the cost of batteries, buyers will need reliable information about the battery’s condition. It therefore makes sense to include this information on the Car-Pass in the future. So it can be seen that the Car-Pass book is certainly not yet fully written.
Partners
Car-Pass is an initiative from FEBIAC, TRAXIO and the companies certified for roadworthiness inspection in collaboration with the FPS Economy, SMEs, Self-Employed and Energy and the FPS Mobility and Transport and supported by Touring and VAB automobile clubs.
