Mileage Check: Spot Clocking Before You Buy

Run a Carhealth vehicle history report using the car's registration plate. The report includes a full mileage timeline sourced from DVSA MOT records: every recorded mileage at each MOT test, plotted chronologically. This lets you verify whether the current odometer reading is consistent with the car's documented history. Results arrive in under 60 seconds. You can also view free DVSA MOT history at check.car-stuff.uk, but Carhealth adds AI analysis and additional data sources to help you interpret what the mileage data means.

Mileage clocking (also called odometer fraud) is the deliberate winding back or tampering of a vehicle's odometer to show a lower mileage than the car has actually covered. In modern digital odometers this is typically done using specialist electronic equipment. A clocked car appears to have lower wear and is sold at an inflated price relative to its true condition. Clocking is illegal under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The most reliable way to spot clocking is to check the full MOT mileage timeline. If recorded mileages fall between test dates, e.g. 95,000 miles at one MOT and then 72,000 miles at the next, that's a near-certain clocking flag. Other signs include: wear inconsistent with the displayed mileage (heavily worn pedals, steering wheel, or driver's seat on a supposedly low-mileage car), service stamps that show higher mileage than the current odometer, and digital display glitches. A Carhealth report surfaces mileage anomalies automatically.

Carhealth's mileage check is built around DVSA MOT records, the official government database of all UK MOT tests, which includes recorded odometer readings at each test. This is the same free data available at gov.uk/check-mot-history, but Carhealth presents it as a timeline, flags anomalies, and adds AI analysis to put the mileage pattern in context. For older vehicles with fewer MOTs, additional data sources are also incorporated where available.

The UK average is roughly 7,000–9,000 miles per year. A car averaging 10,000 miles per year is typical for a mix of town and motorway driving. A car with significantly lower recorded mileage than the average for its age is worth scrutinising. It may be genuine (short-trip city use is possible), or it may have been clocked. Conversely, a high-mileage car with a consistent, well-documented service history is often a better buy than a supposedly low-mileage car with suspicious gaps in its record.

The DVSA MOT check at gov.uk/check-mot-history gives you the raw MOT history for free, including recorded mileages. However, it doesn't automatically flag inconsistencies, doesn't add AI analysis, and doesn't combine mileage data with the rest of the vehicle's history (finance, write-off, stolen status). A Carhealth report pulls the same DVSA data but presents a clear mileage timeline, highlights any rollback flags, and combines it with a full vehicle history check, so you get everything in one place with expert interpretation.