Thanks to our legal support, a car rental company has regained its vehicle, which had initially been set to be destroyed by the Dutch government. The car had been fitted with a kilometer blocker by a renter and was seized by the authorities. The court has now ruled that the car does not need to be destroyed and must be returned to the rental company.
Kilometer blockers, devices that prevent the accurate registration of driven kilometers, are prohibited in the Netherlands. Manipulating the odometer is considered fraud and can affect the value and safety of a vehicle. In this case, the manipulation was not carried out by the rental company itself but by a renter who temporarily used the vehicle.
When the fraud was discovered, the police seized the vehicle and were initially prepared to destroy it, in accordance with the policy regarding vehicles involved in odometer fraud. We represented the rental company and successfully prevented the destruction of the vehicle. With our legal expertise and experience, we supported the rental company throughout the process and ensured that the vehicle was returned. In this case, we collaborated with the law firm Hendrix Law, which provided us with legal support. Our efforts and legal approach proved decisive in this matter.
The court sided with the rental company, ruling that destroying the vehicle would have been an excessive measure. Thanks to our efforts, the rental company was able to prove that it was not responsible for the fraud and that the vehicle could be restored. This outcome underscores our commitment to protecting the interests of our clients in complex legal matters.
If you, as a car rental company, have any questions about this case or related issues, please feel free to contact us for more information and advice. We are happy to assist you with our legal expertise.
Read the ruling here (in Dutch): https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=ECLI:NL:RBOVE:2025:807
