EU-wide study identifies mileage fraud as major threat to consumers Belgian Car-Pass model seen as best practice

CAR-PASS welcomes the publication of the European Commission’s “Study on the functioning of the market for second hand cars from a consumer perspective” in the European Union. This comprehensive EU-wide report was long overdue given that the second hand cars market has consistently scored the lowest in terms of consumer trust in the EU’s annual Consumer Markets Scoreboard. And one key reason for this lack of trust is the widespread problem of mileage fraud.

The new study looks at various deficiencies of the second hand cars market: after-sales problems, unfair commercial practices, limited information provided, etc. But mileage fraud was the second most commonly cited problem in the stakeholder survey conducted as part of the report, particularly in Eastern European countries. This is reflected also in the findings of the consumer survey, where reported cases of mileage fraud were much more prevalent in the new EU Member States or EU13 (14%) than in the old EU15 members (4%). However, the percentages could be under-reported as it might be the case that respondents might not be aware that the odometer of their car was tampered with.