AutoScout24 Ordered to Restore Data Transfers as Belgian Regulator Steps In

Key Takeaways

• Interim Measures Imposed: The Belgian Competition Authority ordered AutoScout24 to restore automated data transfers to carselect.touring.be, backed by daily penalties of €20,000 up to €7 million.
• Dominance Concerns Identified: The regulator found that AutoScout24 could prima facie hold a dominant position in Belgium’s online second-hand car listings market due to strong network effects.
• Potential Abuse of Position: Blocking data transfers to a competing platform may constitute an abuse of dominance under Belgian law and Article 102 TFEU.
• Targeting of Pricing Model: The restriction appears linked to TCS Mobility’s “pay-per-lead” pricing model, diverging from traditional listing-based fees.
• Risk to Market Entry: The regulator concluded the conduct could cause serious and difficult-to-repair harm to TCS by limiting its ability to scale and attract dealers.

Deep Dive

Belgium’s competition watchdog has ordered AutoScout24 to reinstate the flow of sellers’ listing data to a competing platform, stepping in with interim measures it says are needed to prevent immediate harm in the country’s online car sales market.

In a decision issued April 30, 2026, the Belgian Competition Authority directed AutoScout24 Belgium to restore the automated transfer of vehicle data from its AutoScout24.be platform to carselect.touring.be, a service operated by TCS Mobility. The order is backed by a daily penalty of €20,000, up to a maximum of €7 million, if the company fails to comply.

The case centers on how professional car dealers manage listings across multiple platforms. Publishing a second-hand car ad requires entering detailed information, from model and features to mileage and price, and dealers often rely on software tools to distribute and synchronize that data across different websites. This “multihoming” approach allows them to avoid duplicating work while keeping listings consistent.

That system, according to TCS Mobility, was disrupted earlier this year. The company told regulators that AutoScout24 had abruptly stopped allowing automated data transfers from its platform to carselect.touring.be, forcing dealers to manually re-enter information if they wanted to advertise on the rival site. TCS filed a complaint in March and sought urgent intervention, arguing that the change risked stalling its ability to compete.

The regulator agreed that the situation warranted swift action. Interim measures, it noted, can be used where there is a prima facie infringement of competition law and an urgent need to prevent serious and difficult-to-repair harm.

In its preliminary assessment, the authority found that AutoScout24 could be considered dominant in the Belgian market for online second-hand car listings. The platform’s position, it said, is reinforced by network effects—where sellers are drawn to its large audience, while buyers are attracted by the volume of listings, making it a key gateway for professional dealers.

Against that backdrop, the authority concluded that restricting the automated transfer of listing data to a competing platform may amount to an abuse of that position under both Belgian law and Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The decision points out that AutoScout24 generally allows such transfers to other websites, including competitors, but appears to have blocked them in this instance following a change in TCS’s pricing model.

Carselect.touring.be had introduced a “pay-per-lead” approach, charging dealers based on buyer contacts rather than for simply listing ads. According to the authority, the restriction on data transfers appears to have specifically targeted that model.

The regulator also emphasized the potential impact on a newer entrant trying to gain traction. Without automated data transfers, dealers may be reluctant to use a platform that requires duplicative manual work. That, in turn, could prevent TCS from reaching the scale of listings and visitors needed to remain viable.

To address those risks, the authority ordered AutoScout24 to restore automated data transfers and ensure that updates to listings can flow continuously and in real time. The company must also notify its professional clients of the change and publish a notice on the professional section of its website for 90 days confirming that such transfers are permitted.

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