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Recognising and preventing mileage fraud

As of 1 January 2014, kilometre fraud has been punishable in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in many other European countries. As a result, many Dutch people buy a low-mileage car from abroad which, in reality, has been used daily for years. Even when odometer fraud is punishable in the country of purchase, the odometer reading can be reversed. As many as 5 to 12 percent of the Dutch people who buy a used car become the victim of odometer fraud.

Exchanging information with Belgium

The Netherlands and Belgium are ahead of the rest of Europe when it comes to keeping track of odometer readings. Mileage fraud is also punishable in both Belgium and the Netherlands. Nevertheless, five percent of the cars imported into the Netherlands from Belgium have a reversed odometer reading of, on average, 45,000 km. This is possibly because communication between Belgium and the Netherlands about the odometer reading of cars is poor.

Minister Schultz van Haegen of Infrastructure and the Environment wants to nip odometer fraud in the bud by exchanging information with Belgium. Through better communication between these two frontrunners, when importing a car from Belgium to the Netherlands, the odometer reading of the car can be compared with the information provided by Belgium. In this way, mileage fraud can be prevented in most cases.

kilometre fraud

What can you do if you suspect mileage fraud?

If you suspect that the odometer reading of your car has been reversed, you will have to provide proof. If the car comes from the Netherlands, you can check its odometer reading on the RDW website. If the car comes from abroad, this is not possible. In some cases, you can ask the importer for the odometer reading.

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If you have proof that the odometer has been reversed, a professional car dealer will always be held liable; even if he knew nothing about the reversal. He must vouch for his product. In this case you can demand the dissolution or annulment of the purchase agreement, or you can demand a partial refund of the purchase price. If you have bought the car from a private person, it is more difficult to make these claims. First, it must be proved that the private person knew about the reversed counter position and did not tell anyone about it. If this cannot be proven, you cannot demand anything from the seller. When you buy the car from a dealer, you have more security when you buy the cat in the bag. You can always report to the police.

What can you do to prevent mileage fraud?

Prevention is better than cure. So be alert when buying a used car, especially with imported cars. A useful way to check the odometer reading is to ask the seller for the service booklet. You can then compare the odometer reading of the car with the odometer reading at the last inspection. If the odometer reading in the book is lower, and the inspections have been properly recorded, then you may assume that the odometer reading is correct. When you buy a car with an odometer reading of "illogical" in the sales contract, you accept that something is wrong with the odometer reading and you cannot make any further demands if you have any problems.

Finally, it is important to go by your gut feeling; is the price right for the car, or is it too good to be true? What does the car look like, especially the upholstery? Does the mileage match the age of the car? If you have any doubts, do some research before you buy.

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  • To calculate premiums, we need the zip code of the primary driver. For private use, the youngest driver must reside at the same address as the applicant. In case of business use, you can enter the postal code of the company here.

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