The results support the need for the European Commission’s actions under the Roadworthiness Package that states Europeans want greater access to car data, and many do not currently trust the car market.
83.2% agree that Europeans should have access to car history
A total of 10,000 respondents participated, and 75% said they are worried about buying cars with hidden issues (such as damage history, rolled-back odometers, and more). The picture is more mixed when it comes to their personal experience: 35% of respondents said they have bought a car with a hidden history in the past, while 38.9% said they haven’t, and 26.1% said they don’t know.
The European Commission’s Roadworthiness Package appears to be a step in the right direction: 83.2% of respondents agreed that Europeans should have access to car history to help avoid purchasing damaged, old, or unsafe vehicles.
61.5% wouldn’t mind sharing non-sensitive data to increase car market transparency
Access to car data is one of the most important ways to make informed decisions when purchasing a vehicle.
In the past, access to vehicle data has been restricted for both consumers and third-party vendors due to privacy concerns and strict interpretations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Europeans appear more in favor of sharing this data than opposed to it: 55.1% view vehicle identification numbers (VINs) as non-sensitive information, and 61.5% would agree to share non-sensitive data if it helped improve car market transparency.
Car market transparency remains an issue in Europe
Europeans’ trust in car sellers is limited: 48.3% of poll respondents do not trust the information provided by car sellers.
A lack of car market transparency remains an issue across Europe. Buying a used car in Europe can feel like a lottery – some markets are clear and trustworthy; others still hide plenty of surprises.
According to carVertical’s latest study, odometer manipulation can increase a vehicle’s price by up to 44.5%. Over the past year, consumers in France overpaid an average of €1.149 billion, and consumers in Germany overpaid an average of €1.106 billion, due to manipulated odometer data.
“The EU’s Roadworthiness Package, which aims to increase car market transparency and facilitate data sharing between EU Member States, is a step in the right direction that will help European consumers save money and purchase safer cars. However, even if it is approved by the European Parliament this spring, implementation will be long and arduous across the EU. Therefore, it’s important that Member States are given sufficient autonomy to share data with third parties to improve consumers’ experiences more quickly,” said Rokas Medonis, CEO of carVertical.
Methodology
This carVertical study is based on a survey shown on the carVertical report loading screen, conducted between October to November 2025 with around 10,000 respondents across 35 countries. As the survey targeted only carVertical users, the sample represents individuals actively interested in used cars.
carVertical operates in 35 countries and sources data from 900+ global databases, such as law enforcement, national/state registries, financial institutions, and classifieds. By processing millions of vehicle history reports annually, the company can provide trends, comprehensive forecasts, and unique insights into the used car market.
