Car clocking is on the rise, prompting a leading vehicle check organisation to issue a warning to unsuspecting car buyers to do more to protect themselves.
HPI hopes its advice will help motorists to recognise the tell-tale signs that may reveal if a car has been clocked, after their experts discovered the issue affects around 1 in 16 used cars. Three years ago that figure was just 1 in 20, but unscrupulous sellers are increasingly exploiting loopholes in the law to scam buyers.
Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at hpi said: “Being vigilant and doing a few simple checks can be very beneficial, helping to prevent the headache of buying a car that’s had its mileage falsified. Buying a clocked car can have both serious financial and safety implications which is why awareness is so vital.”
Hpi’s advice includes simple measures like checking the service history to see the mileage recorded at the time of the service. Any discrepancies should start the alarm bells ringing. If possible, contact the previous keeper to confirm what the vehicle’s mileage was at the time it was sold. They also advise to double check the odometer, as scammers have been known to wind back the mileage for a viewing then alter it again before collection.
Hpi wants car buyers to be confident enough to trust their own judgement. A 15 years old with only 20k miles on the clock, or a registered as a company car only recording 12,000 miles a year, are examples of things in a vehicle’s history which might make you suspicious.
The NMR (national mileage register) currently holds over 200 million records, while an online check of the MOT history will confirm the mileage at of the vehicle at each MOT test.
Hpi offer their own check, which includes both MOT and NMR checks as standard. Visit hpi.co.uk
“The HPI Check includes a mileage check against the NMR as standard”, added Barry Shorto.
“It also confirms whether a vehicle is currently recorded as stolen with the police, has outstanding finance or safety recalls against it or has been written-off”.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
Popular news stories
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
|
||||||
