In brief

• According to Karolína Topolová, a rolled-back odometer affects 33 to 40 percent of used cars on the Czech market.
• Most often the mileage is understated by 100 to 115 thousand kilometres, and many cars were involved in accidents.
• The transport minister announces that changes to technical inspection stations, which could correct detected manipulations, will be considered.

Scale of the problem

Karolína Topolová, general director of the Aures Holdings group, presented data on odometer manipulation in the Czech Republic at a seminar of the Chamber of Commerce. According to her, a rolled-back odometer affects 33 to 40 percent of used car offers (Stočený tachometr má až 40 procent ojetin – Novinky.cz) (Stočený tachometr má až 40 procent ojetin, říká Topolová | Newstream – newstream.cz). Most often the odometer shows 100 to 115 thousand kilometres less. Topolová added that up to 60 percent of used cars are vehicles that have been in serious collisions.

Why it matters

Buyers pay more for a car than its real value, because it appears to be less used. Topolová warned that deliberately rolling back the odometer for profit may be classified as fraud.

Safety

Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik (SPD) pointed out that an altered mileage also poses a safety risk, since the car is more worn than the odometer shows. As a possible solution, he suggested changing the methodology of technical inspection stations, which could correct the odometer once manipulation is detected. Bednárik also asked why the technician does not react during an inspection if they see signs of manipulation. He also mentioned the German model, in which stations perform a vehicle check for customers before purchase.

On the market

In the Czech Republic, about 850 thousand used cars change owners each year, which is about 3.5 times more than the number of new passenger cars sold.