Expert commentary: new regulations will upend the Polish car aftermarket. Currently, only 2% of cars fail inspections
Transparency note: This press release was originally published in Polish. The text has been machine translated. You can find the original press release here.
This year, drivers will face significant changes to vehicle inspections, stemming from new EU regulations aimed at reducing oversights and fraudulent inspections. These include digitizing diagnostic test results, exhaust emission testing, more thorough inspections of older cars, and the creation of a common database of vehicles from across the EU. These regulations could trigger the largest-ever shakeup in the Polish automotive aftermarket. Cars that, according to the new regulations, are considered high-risk make up the lion's share.
Robert Lewandowski, Business Development Manager at CARFAX Polska, a company providing used car history reports from reliable and certified sources, comments on the upcoming changes.
Our domestic automotive aftermarket faces a significant challenge. Last year, 3.5 million used cars changed owners in Poland, over half of which were 15 or older, and 40% were diesel vehicles, according to an analysis of the CARFAX database of over 23 million used cars in Poland. Over 70% were imported, 42% were accident-damaged, and nearly 90% had a long history, including various risk factors such as damage, collisions, and unusual odometer readings. However, according to availabledata, currently only 2% of cars in Poland fail their periodic inspections.
Under new EU proposals, cars as young as 10 years old will be subject to stringent inspections, placing greater emphasis on the condition of electronics and safety systems. More precise devices measuring particulate matter (PM) emissions, also known as toxic soot, will also be required. These devices are designed, for example, to reliably detect the absence or malfunction of a DPF filter in diesel engines – the effectiveness of this type of inspection has previously been the Achilles' heel of Polish vehicle diagnostics. The new, rigorous tests will mean that many cars may simply be refused roadworthiness, and with the creation of a common database for all EU countries, concealing unfavorable a bad inspection history will become much more difficult.
The end of the DPF era and the growing importance of certification
For the average owner of an old diesel vehicle, who previously treated inspections as a formality, the new reality may mean the need for costly repairs, often exceeding the car's value. This, in turn, will force buyers to be more cautious. Verifying a vehicle's history and its actual technical condition before purchasing will no longer be an option, but a crucial step helping to avoid buying a car that cannot be legally operated without incurring significant costs.
It is possible that the new regulations will shift demand in the used vehicle market towards younger cars and those with hybrid drives. Certification will also become more important – cars with a documented, “clean” (meaning without major negatively read events) history will increase in value, becoming safer investments.