Spain has fallen two places to 14th in carVertical’s 2026 European Transparency Index, which assesses risks in the used-car market across 23 countries. The country ranks behind Germany and France but remains ahead of Portugal, which is 15th.
The decline is linked to a sharp increase in vehicles with damage records and a higher proportion of cars with altered odometers. Between September 2025 and August 2026, 50.5% of the vehicles checked in Spain had a recorded damage history, up from 37% the previous year. In practice, one in every two cars analysed had records of accidents or other damage.
Odometer manipulation also became more widespread. The share of vehicles affected rose from 3.3% to 4.5%, an increase of more than one-third in a year. However, the average mileage alteration fell by 13.8%, from 89,407 kilometres in 2025 to 77,042 kilometres in 2026.
An altered odometer can lead buyers to pay more than a vehicle is worth based on its actual use, while also giving a misleading impression of wear and future maintenance needs. The average recorded value of damage fell from 5,423 euros to 4,050 euros, although the growing number of cars with damage histories remains a major concern.
Ramūnas Pletkus, a carVertical expert, said buyers still lack sufficient information about the real cost of odometer fraud. He added that checking a vehicle’s damage history is important not only financially but also because of its potential implications for safety.
The composition of the Spanish used-car market also changed during the period covered by the study. Imported vehicles accounted for 50.7% of the cars checked, down from 62.2% the year before. Despite the decrease, imported cars still represented roughly half of the sample, making it harder to establish a complete history when records from the country of origin are unavailable.
The average age of the vehicles analysed increased from 9.2 years in 2025 to 10.5 years in 2026. The combination of older cars and a higher proportion of vehicles with damage records increases the importance of verifying a vehicle’s history before purchase.
CarVertical’s ranking is based on vehicle-history reports purchased by its customers between September 2025 and August 2026. It considers six indicators: the proportion of cars with manipulated mileage, the average mileage alteration, the share of vehicles with damage records, the average value of that damage, the proportion of imported cars and the average age of the vehicles. Each factor receives a different weighting based on its expected impact on market transparency.
The United Kingdom retained first place, helped by its low dependence on imports: only 2.4% of the vehicles checked there came from abroad. The share of cars with altered odometers was 4%. Germany ranked second, followed by Switzerland, Finland and France.
At the bottom of the table were mainly Eastern European markets. Ukraine remained last, as it has since 2024, followed by Bulgaria and Latvia. Imported vehicles accounted for 76.3% of the Ukrainian sample. In Bulgaria, 10.4% of the vehicles had manipulated mileage and 42.8% had damage records. In Latvia, imports represented 69.8% of the sample, while 58.5% of the cars had recorded damage.
According to Pletkus, limited data sharing between countries remains one of the main barriers to transparency. When a vehicle crosses a border, information about its history may remain in national or private databases rather than travelling with the car, making it more difficult for buyers to assess its real condition.
Sources: elDiario.es.