About 30% of cars in the secondary market have tampered mileage, and 35% of sellers conceal accidents and technical problems. These figures were presented at a round table in the Public Chamber by Alexey Podshchekolkin, president of the Russian Automobile Dealers (ROAD) association, Izvestia reports.
According to ROAD's estimates, the annual damage to buyers from such schemes exceeds 635 billion rubles – this is an overpayment for problematic cars. Another 5% of vehicles have legal restrictions: pledge, arrest, or wanted status. During its operational life, a car in Russia changes three to five owners, and even dealers do not always know its history – there have been cases where car dealerships put arrested vehicles up for sale.
To make the market transparent, ROAD proposes recording odometer readings in the electronic vehicle passport (EPTS) at each visit to a service center, completed work, the price for each purchase and sale agreement, data on accidents and damages, as well as all restrictions and encumbrances. The final entry should be the car's disposal, indicating the recycling organization. Ilya Minkin, CEO of JSC "Elektronny Pasport," reported that about 15 million EPTS have already been issued – approximately a quarter of the country's vehicle fleet.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that cars older than 15 years constitute about 40% of the fleet and are inferior to modern cars in terms of safety. Insurers believe that reliable mileage data will allow for more accurate calculation of OSAGO and CASCO insurance costs. Discussion participants stated that a complete digital vehicle history will increase trust in transactions and help the state make decisions on fleet renewal.
Read more on the topic:
- Odometer rollback will become impossible: electronic vehicle passports will include odometer and lien data
- How to Determine a Tampered Car Mileage? Four Sure Signs
- Russians named the best time to buy a car