AutoSmart GuidebooksWhat this guidebook covers
Since 2020, changing an odometer reading, or ordering someone to change it, carries 3 months to 5 years in prison (art. 306a of the Criminal Code). Mileage is recorded in CEPiK, the central vehicle register, at every roadworthiness test, and anyone can check it free at historiapojazdu.gov.pl. UOKiK fines misleading descriptions up to 10% of turnover.
This guidebook covers 5 vehicle standards, with 11 checkpoints: verified mileage, service campaigns completed, registration and trade plates, honest used car history, and genuine and compliant parts. The guidebook PDF is in Polish.
The 5 vehicle standards
Open a standard to see the law behind it, what is checked, what it can cost and the evidence. Ideal fix times are counted from audit submission.
POJ-01Mileage verifiedImmediate
- The law
- Criminal Code art. 306a (odometers) · EU GPSR (product safety) · Road Traffic Act · Criminal Code art. 306a: altering odometer readings
- What we check
- Every car's mileage is compared with its history in CEPiK and the service records. Nobody alters an odometer reading or orders it done.
- What it can cost
- Up to 5 years in prison and a UOKiK fine of up to 10% of turnover.
- Evidence
- History printouts
POJ-02Service campaigns completedImmediate
- The law
- Criminal Code art. 306a (odometers) · EU GPSR (product safety) · Road Traffic Act · GPSR · manufacturers' recalls
- What we check
- Service campaigns are checked for every car on the lot and carried out before sale. Customers are informed.
- What it can cost
- Product liability and a UOKiK fine.
- Evidence
- Campaign report
POJ-03Registration and trade plates7 days
- The law
- Criminal Code art. 306a (odometers) · EU GPSR (product safety) · Road Traffic Act · Road Traffic Act: temporary registration, trade plates
- What we check
- Trade plates are used as the rules allow, and customers get their registration documents on time.
- What it can cost
- Fines and loss of the right to trade plates.
- Evidence
- Records
POJ-04Honest used car history72 hours
- The law
- Criminal Code art. 306a (odometers) · EU GPSR (product safety) · Road Traffic Act · Unfair Market Practices Act
- What we check
- Damage, import, the number of owners and the service history are disclosed in writing before sale.
- What it can cost
- A UOKiK fine of up to 10% of turnover.
- Evidence
- Reports
POJ-05Genuine and compliant parts72 hours
- The law
- Criminal Code art. 306a (odometers) · EU GPSR (product safety) · Road Traffic Act · accurate information on parts and their equivalence
- What we check
- Parts are original or equivalent and described as such on the invoice. Replacement parts are never sold as originals.
- What it can cost
- A misleading practice: up to 10% of turnover.
- Evidence
- Invoices
How to run a Polish vehicle standards audit, step by step
- Confirm what applies. Include every car in stock and on the forecourt, the trade plates, and the parts department.
- Walk the site, standard by standard. Score each of the 11 checkpoints Pass, Fail or N/A. N/A only where the standard rules it out, with the reason recorded. Check 10 cars on historiapojazdu.gov.pl and for open service campaigns, then review the trade plate log, 10 used car contracts and 10 parts invoices.
- Capture the evidence. A pass counts only with proof captured at the time of the audit: history printouts, the service campaign report, the trade plate log, vehicle reports and parts invoices.
- Give every fail an owner and a fix time. Record what you saw and who owns the fix. Each standard carries an ideal fix time, from immediate to 7 days, counted from audit submission (see the table above).
- Fix it, then prove it. The site fixes the cause and uploads proof of closure; the auditor checks the proof before closing the finding.
- Re-check at the next audit. Confirm closed findings stay closed, and look for the same fail at your other sites so one gap doesn't repeat across the network.
Who this guidebook is for
- Boards: the criminal risk
- Used car and service teams: checking every car
- Auditors: comparing mileage with CEPiK
A reference document, not legal advice. Fines and rules change: check the current text with the regulator or your legal adviser before acting.
