The end of mileage fraud is coming.

The European Commission is proposing to create a database of the kilometres travelled recorded during vehicle roadworthiness tests, which would be shared among all EU member states. Brussels supports the measure as a way to combat odometer manipulation.

The European Commission has proposed a new package of measures focused on improving road safety, reducing traffic pollution and combating various vehicle-related fraud.

The proposed new rules include the creation of a common register of vehicle kilometres
passed between member states, to curb the manipulation and false "rejuvenation" of some vehicles sold on the used car market with the aim of deceiving buyers, writes the French daily L'argus.

Several EU countries already record mileage in national databases. One example is Belgium, where the Car-Pass system serves as a model in this area – the seller of a used car is obliged to hand over this document to the buyer, updated at every technical inspection. In France, mileage is also recorded during every mandatory periodic inspection.

The seller can provide this data to the buyer via a link to the official online vehicle database, although this is not mandatory. Tracing a car's history can be particularly difficult for imported models. The Commission's idea is to give these databases a European dimension. At the beginning of 2024, when Belgium took over the EU presidency for six months, some of its officials proposed extending the Car-Pass system to the entire European Union.

In practice, each EU member state would be obliged to record the mileage of every vehicle in a national database at every technical inspection. This data would then be transmitted to a European database each time the vehicle is registered. The information would be accessible to authorities (and possibly also to any potential buyer) from any of the 27 EU member states.

The fight against mileage fraud is important for consumer protection, but also for fair competition in the motor vehicle trade. This will help reduce manipulation in the sale of used cars. Like all other proposed measures, this proposal will now be subject to lengthy parliamentary procedures in the European Parliament and the Council. /Telegraph/