Odometer fraud: Still a big used-market risk

[tracktoy]

Just seen this blog today and lots of interesting info on the trends going forward.

Bit that interested me was Odometer fraud: Still a big used-market risk

Mileage Rollback is still a problem in 2025 and will be in 2026 if nothing changes.

Private-sector data suggests the problem remains widespread and has been rising in recent years:

• More than 2.14 million vehicles on U.S. roads may have had an odometer rollback (2024), which CARFAX says is up ~18% since 2021 (and +82,000 vs the prior year).

• 450,000+ vehicles are sold every year with false odometer readings, NHTSA reports. This costs consumers over $1 billion annually.

In Europe, the scale is even broader.

• 60+ million used cars are sold annually in the EU, a letter to European Comission by Liesbet Sommen states.
• 5%–12% of domestic used cars show mileage manipulation, while 30%–50% of cross-border sales are affected.

However, odometer fraud still seems to be a criminal offence in only six EU Member States, meaning people still have to protect themselves using their own means.

In 2025, the most reliable ways to spot odometer fraud include checking digital service records, connected-car data, and mileage stored inside the car itself.

On a personal note I met a guy recently with a very expensive high end motor and he basically has a device fitted that stops the clock so there is not rollback it just does not record the mileage at all and obviously it does it to all components (engine and gearbox) that store that data.

 

[serdar_18fr]

On a personal note I met a guy recently with a very expensive high end motor and he basically has a device fitted that stops the clock so there is not rollback it just does not record the mileage at all and obviously it does it to all components (engine and gearbox) that store that data.

In the early 2000s, we had an Opel Corsa registered to our company and it had nearly 400,000 kilometers on the odometer when we sold it. A couple weeks later I saw it in a car wash, peeked through the driver's window and it was showing only 140,000.

 

[James_R]

I see clocked cars on an almost daily basis. The most common tend to be private lease vehicles with a mileage allowance (usually massively exceeded), taxis and lots of private owners that have not long since bought the car.

This country is rife with it.

 

[tracktoy]

Wow had not realized how bad it was all the more reason to keep my old low mileage motor on the road

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/368038/1-7-uk-used-cars-are-clocked-or-have-hidden-identities

How to spot car clocking | Dangers of clocked cars | Admiral

It is important to check a car's mileage when buying a used car - but beware of car clocking. Read our guide on how to spot the signs of a clocked car.

www.admiral.com

 

[TheSwede]

I wasn’t aware that it’s so common. With obdeleven /vcds you can check different values as described in the video, same for all VAG cars i suppose.

 

[James_R]

I've only come across two cars with blockers fitted, but hundreds with easily provable mileage discrepancies.

The blockers cause their own problems.

 

[TheSwede]

Despite from wrong odo value there is a high risk that service / oil changes are according to the false / low value, everything is done after a long distance! Very bad.

 

[James_R]

Absolutely, that's usually how these things come to light. You get a car in with 20,000 miles on the clock for it's first variable service and it's actually done 30/40,000 miles, the oil is like Vaseline, the driver reports that there are problems that don't add up based off the mileage.

There are lots of tell-tale signs of a clocked motor.