Used car buyers take note! These are the most clocked “nearly new” brands because sellers hide the actual mileage

One in fourteen ‘nearly new’ cars put on sale in the past year have been ‘clocked’ to hide their actual mileage, according to new data.

A new report has revealed the extent of mileage fraud on one-year-old cars, commonly referred to as ‘almost new’ and sought after by some buyers.

By falsifying a vehicle’s mileage, sellers can list cars at prices far above their actual value – and very few victims of this type of activity can do anything to get their money back.

Below we reveal the brands with year-old cars found to have been clocked the most in the past 12 months.

Why modern clocks happen

Clocking is a long-standing scam against car buyers, but has entered the modern era with the advent of digital odometers and mileage-related financing deals.

The new figures come from data shared by CarVertical – a vehicle history checking service that allows consumers to check whether a used vehicle has been previously written off, has outstanding financing or has had the mileage on the odometer adjusted.

It says 7.1 percent of all nearly new cars it checked between September 2012 and this month were identified as clocked.

It is used models less than 12 months old that are easiest to sell while keeping the actual mileage hidden from a buyer.

Because cars undergo their first MOT after three years and are only serviced for a year, most nearly new engines have no documented history or paperwork confirming mileage.

By turning back the clock on these cars before they are sold, it is very difficult for trusting motorists to fall foul of this unscrupulous activity.

While clocking is often seen as a dying crime aimed solely at older vehicles, CarVertical says such assumptions are way off the mark.

The act of ‘clocking’, which was common in the days of analog vehicle odometers that could be easily turned back, has become more common thanks to new technology available to those who wish to manipulate the displayed mileage.

Easy access to online odometer adjustment services, many of which will behave legitimately – but others less so – all exacerbate the return of this dodgy activity.

What is also making it increasingly common, according to experts, is the increase in mileage-related financing schemes, such as hire purchase and personal contract purchase.

This makes it more likely that drivers will consider finding ways to change the digital odometer in their cars to avoid expensive fines for exceeding the mileage allowance in their contracts.

According to CarVertical, the average mileage of vehicles checked through the service in the past year is 32,742 miles.

That’s almost three times the UK average (estimated 7,400 miles per year), but it says this is because users are more likely to check the history of cars with more miles on the odometer.

Meanwhile, improperly lowering the mileage of a used vehicle can increase its sales price by as much as 25 percent, CarVertical estimates.

This means that unknowing buyers can overpay by thousands of dollars.

It can also lead to much higher maintenance costs, as clocked cars that have driven more miles than they appear will also have suffered more wear and tear.

And for victims who buy a clocked car, it can be extremely difficult to seek justice and compensation.

That’s because the very act of clocking a car’s odometer is not an offense.

Instead, a criminal action only arises if a clocked car is sold on the second-hand market without the actual mileage being declared.

Most clocked almost new cars per brand

CarVertical’s data shows that almost one in five nearly new Nissans checked last year were clocked.

Renault, Peugeot, Kia and Citroen follow behind, with the car history checker saying more than one in 10 of each brand have had their mileage adjusted in the past 12 months.

In total, 9.6 percent of cars of all ages checked on CarVertical since September 2012 were found to be clocked.

“With approximately 1.8 million used cars changing hands every quarter through 2023, approximately 690,000 drivers are at risk of becoming victims of mileage fraud this year alone,” the report said.

CarVertical’s Matas Buzelis added: ‘Many drivers may think that buying a newer used car, which has had fewer owners and driven fewer miles, is a safer bet.

‘But buying a newer vehicle does not eliminate the risks of buying a car with clocked miles or hidden defects.

“Some new car buyers purchase vehicles and agree not to exceed a certain mileage so they can get better financing or lower their monthly rates. However, fraudulent drivers ignore these agreements and reverse the odometer readings to make it appear as if they have kept the contract they signed.”

He continued: ‘A car’s mileage is a crucial determinant of how much it is really worth. So if you are going to buy a second-hand car, it is essential that you know the correct mileage and that you are aware of any other issues, such as damage, that could affect its true value.’