Research on cross-border second-hand car sales shows that up to half of odometers had been tampered with, with an economic cost for buyers and businesses running into billions of euros every year.

The European Parliament’s Transport Committee called on Wednesday for resolute action from the European Commission against this mileage fraud in Europe.

The EPP Group Shadow Rapporteur Georges Bach MEP said: “It is unacceptable that many car buyers all over Europe are still victims of mileage fraud. Considering that the solution only costs a fraction of the economic damage incurred, there is no convincing argument for the Commission not to follow up on our demand for a legal framework to solve this before the end of this mandate. The solutions are there, they have been tested at national level, they are affordable and they work.”

 “The costs for consumers and businesses are huge! Car buyers all over Europe could save hundreds or even thousands of euros per car. This is why we insist on the creation of up-to-date national databases, like the Dutch and Belgian systems, where people can verify mileage data easily before buying a car.”

Bach not only insisted on the economic costs but also on the possible negative effects such as unexpected maintenance and repair costs for buyers resulting from the manipulation of a car's mileage.

“This kind of fraud is plainly and simply criminal and can put the lives of car buyers and other road users in danger. This is why we also call on a majority of member states to make mileage manipulation a criminal offence.”