How to spot a clocked car

Clocked cars pose a serious risk to car buyers in the UK and across the world as alter the mileage tracked by the vehicle.

By doing this, sellers artificially boost a car’s value, hiding wear and tear and masking potential mechanical issues. This deceptive practice not only leads to financial losses but also compromises safety.

Despite advances in digital odometers and legal protections, clocking remains a persistent problem in the used car market. 

Read our buying a selling guide to learn more.

What is a clocked car?

A clocked car is a vehicle whose odometer has been tampered with to show fewer miles than it has actually traveled.

This makes the car appear less used and more valuable to potential buyers.

Clocking hides the true wear and tear, potentially masking important maintenance needs and safety issues.

It isn't illegal in the UK, but all buyers should always be wary of it. However, selling a vehicle that has been clocked is classed as mileage fraud - which is illegal.

Clocked-car spotting

'Clocking' is a term used to describe the process of reducing a car’s recorded mileage, helping it appear fresher and more attractive to prospective buyers – but there are a few areas to look at when embarking on a potential new purchase to ensure you pick up an honest vehicle.

Firstly, check the car’s service history. At every service – usually 12-monthly or every 12,000 miles – the vehicle’s mileage should have been recorded, giving you a good indication of how far it’s travelled.

Sometimes a dishonest seller may have purchased a new service book or doctored the existing one, so a call to the previous keeper to validate the mileage when they sold it is also worthwhile.

You have to trust your judgement when buying a car too, as gut instinct and evidence collected with your own eyes can help in making a decision.

If there’s anything out of keeping with the general condition of the vehicle – an extremely tired interior with only 40,000 miles on the clock should set alarm bells ringing, for example.

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Actual signs of clocking are far harder to spot these days, of course: electronic odometers mean the days of checking that numbers in the mileage readout line up evenly are long gone. You could try looking for electrical oddities elsewhere though, such as a malfunctioning trip computer.

If the electrical system has been tampered with, gremlins will likely appear in the form of basic electric glitches and malfunctions.

It sounds simple, but check the mileage of the vehicle on every viewing as well. Clockers often wind back a vehicle’s total for a first viewing, enticing buyers into a car advertised as low mileage, only to return the clock to standard on a second viewing, or after a purchase, to ensure everything appears legal again.

Finally, there’s always the option of conducting a vehicle check. For a small fee, you can access a database of 135 million mileages, validating a vehicle’s history – chances are the car you’re looking at will be included.

You can use our HPI Check comparison table to find out more about how these services stack up against each other.

Can new cars be clocked?

Yes, new cars can be clocked, although it’s less common compared to used cars.

This is because modern vehicles often have digital odometers that are harder to tamper with, but criminals can still manipulate the mileage using specialised tools or software.

Can electric cars be clocked?

Yes, electric vehicles (EVs) can be clocked. Although they use digital odometers, fraudsters can manipulate the software to alter the mileage.