Clocking cars – how big an issue is it?
Used car buyers are being warned of vehicles entering the market that may have been clocked by almost 300,000 miles, as revealed in a new report by the vehicle history platform carVertical, showcasing Britain’s most extreme cases of clocked motors in the past year.
The analysis is based on thousands of vehicle history reports carried out by carVertical every year, and this year’s data reveals the extent of odometer fraud in the UK, where unscrupulous sellers roll back mileage to inflate value or disguise heavy use.
Odometer fraud - or “clocking” - involves criminals tampering with a vehicle’s mileage to make it appear far less used than it really is. Using cheap electronic devices or diagnostic software, fraudsters can connect to a car’s onboard computer and digitally rewrite the mileage record in minutes. The result is a vehicle that looks newer, commands a higher price, and hides years of wear and tear.
A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from 2021 tops the list as the most clocked vehicle up for sale in the UK, with 283,141 miles wiped from its odometer. It’s followed by a 2013 BMW 520 (275,036 miles), a 2011 Audi A8 (235,864 miles), a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan (230,965 miles), and a 2015 Citroën Jumper (208,312 miles).
- Do you own any of the cars listed? What is your reaction to the data?
- How big is the issue of clocking?
- What advice do you have for people buying used cars?
Responses by Friday.
