Last year, almost one in five used cars failed the pre-sale vehicle inspection due to a major or dangerous defect. Goca Flanders, the industry federation for vehicle inspections and driving tests, reported this on Thursday in its 2025 annual report.

In 2025, a total of 3,600,249 cars underwent inspection, of which 482,809 were used vehicles, 2% more than in 2024. Goca indicated that 93,000 used cars  (19,3%) inspected for sale in Flanders showed at least one technical problem and failed the test: 9,624 cars had a dangerous defect, and 83,405 had a major defect.

This means that for every hundred used cars sold, approximately nineteen – or almost one in five – are rejected due to at least one serious technical problem.

Goca distinguishes between ‘major defects’, which have significant implications for safety or the environment, and ‘dangerous defects’, which pose an immediate risk. Serious problems typically involve tires, brakes, chassis, suspension, and emissions.

‘Crucial for safety’

“Such an independent technical inspection is crucial,” says Raph Verbruggen, Managing Director of GOCA Flanders. “Especially in a growing and increasingly complex used-car market.”

Nevertheless, the Flemish government, led by Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA), plans to reform the current vehicle inspection rules. This would involve scrapping the mandatory inspection for used vehicles upon their sale within Belgium. Goca considers a pre-sale technical inspection highly advisable and therefore opposes the government’s plans to abolish it.

In Wallonia, a total of 228,410 out of 1,241,730 passenger cars undergoing periodic inspection (i.e., not necessarily for sale) were rejected. In Wallonia,  a misaligned headlight is by far the most common reason for vehicle inspection failure (37.7%).

In other countries

The Belgian system most closely resembles the French one. There, too, a car older than four years must undergo a technical inspection before being sold to a private individual. Last year, 18.24% of passenger cars undergoing periodic inspection in France failed the test. That is close to the 19.3% failure rate in sales checks in Flanders.

In Germany, the figures are even higher. According to the TÜV Report 2026, 21.5% of passenger cars failed the ‘Hauptuntersuchung’ (periodic technical inspection) due to significant or dangerous defects. Here, too, this concerns the general periodic inspection, not specifically a pre-sale inspection.

The Netherlands has a General Periodic Inspection (APK), not a separate inspection for sales. Relevant figures for the Netherlands are missing.