Clocking check · free
Mileage check
Our free mileage check plots every odometer reading from a car's MOTs and warns you if the mileage ever went down, jumped implausibly or went unrecorded for years.
Free · in seconds
Enter any UK registration
No sign-up. No card. MOT records back to 2005.
How we check
How to tell if a car has been clocked
Clocking means winding back the odometer so a car looks less used than it is. It's illegal to sell a clocked car without telling the buyer, but it still happens, because a lower mileage adds hundreds of pounds to the price.
Every MOT records the mileage, so the record catches what the dashboard hides. We look for three things:
- A drop. Any reading lower than the one before is a red flag. Sometimes it's a typing error at the test or a replaced instrument cluster: ask for the paperwork.
- An impossible jump. Tens of thousands of miles in a few months can mean an earlier reading was mistyped, or swapped.
- A long gap. Years with no MOT can mean the car was off the road, or abroad. Ask why.
What's normal
How many miles a year is normal?
The average car in the UK covers about 7,100 miles a year (Department for Transport, National Travel Survey 2025). Diesels and company cars often do more; city cars less.
Each model's reliability page shows the typical mileage at every age from real MOT readings, so you can see if a car is high or low for its type.
Beyond the MOT
Mileage before the first MOT
A car's first MOT is at three years old, so its first mileage reading comes then. Service records and the V5C fill the gap. Our Full Check (£9.99) adds a valuation at the recorded mileage.
Questions
Mileage check questions
How can I check a car's mileage for free?
Enter the registration above: we show the mileage at every MOT since 2005 and flag anything that doesn't add up.
What if the mileage went down?
Ask the seller for an explanation and paperwork, such as a garage invoice for a replaced dashboard. Without one, walk away.
Is clocking illegal?
Adjusting an odometer isn't illegal by itself, but selling a car without declaring that the mileage is wrong is an offence.
Keep checking
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MOT history, mileage record, ULEZ, tax and recalls on any UK car, in seconds. No sign-up, no card.