How to tell if a car has been clocked

What does it mean if a car has been clocked?

A clocked car has had its odometer wound back, so it shows fewer miles than it has really done.

Fewer miles make a car look younger and worth more, so the seller can ask a higher price. They also hide wear: parts due for replacing at the real mileage may be near the end of their life.

How can you check a car's mileage history?

The best record of a car's mileage is its MOT history, because every test records the mileage on the day.

1. 1

   Get the registration number

   It's on the number plate and the V5C logbook. Make sure both match.

2. 2

   Look up the MOT readings

   GOV.UK's MOT history service lists the mileage at every test. CarCanny's full report charts them and checks that each is at least the one before.

3. 3

   Check every reading goes up

   Each MOT should show more miles than the one before. A lower reading is a red flag.

4. 4

   Compare the odometer with the last MOT

   At the viewing, note the mileage on the dashboard. It should be at least the reading at the car's last MOT.

5. 5

   Check the service history

   Service stamps and invoices usually record the mileage. Their readings should fit between the MOT readings, in date order.

6. 6

   Ask the seller

   If anything doesn't add up, ask why. A genuine reason, such as a replaced instrument cluster, should come with paperwork.

What are the signs a car has been clocked?

The signs are a mileage that goes down on the record, and wear that doesn't fit the miles shown.

What does CarCanny's mileage check show?

CarCanny's mileage check reads the car's MOT history, and says "Adds up" when every reading is at least the one before it, or "Check" when one goes down.

• •A chart of every MOT reading, starting at zero on the date the car was first registered, with the miles since the previous reading.
• •The average miles a year since the car was first registered, to the nearest 100, for a car over a year old.
• •The mileage at the car's last MOT, at the top of the report, so you can compare it with the odometer.

The free report doesn't include the mileage check, but it shows whether the car matches its logbook, so you can rule a car out before you travel.

Check a car for free

Is it illegal to sell a clocked car?

Yes: a trader who sells or offers a car with a false mileage commits a criminal offence.

Trading Standards guidance treats a car's odometer reading as part of its description. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in April 2025, offering a car with a misleading description, such as a false mileage, is an offence. A trader who doubts a car's mileage must make that clear, usually with a disclaimer, but a disclaimer doesn't replace checking it.

Clockers are prosecuted, and jailed, too. In January 2025, Kent County Council Trading Standards prosecuted three men who had wound about 2 million miles off the clocks of 23 high-mileage vehicles. In 2012, the owner of a mileage correction business was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to charges under consumer law and the Fraud Act 2006.

What can you do if you've bought a clocked car?

If you bought the car from a trader, you may be entitled to your money back.

• •Citizens Advice says that if a trader misled you, you're legally entitled to a full refund within 90 days of getting the car.
• •Keep the advert, your messages and any paperwork that show the mileage you were told.
• •Contact Citizens Advice for help with your case, whether you bought from a trader or privately.

Frequently asked questions

Written by

Maciej Kalka

Car enthusiast at CarCanny

Maciej is a researcher at vlayer, the company behind CarCanny, working on zero-knowledge proofs and applied cryptography. Before vlayer, Maciej was a doctoral researcher in physics at AGH University of Krakow.