A recent news report reveals the worrying statistic that the mileage values on a large number of used cars are being lowered in order to improve sales and car values. It is estimated that over 600,000 of the used vehicles being driven are displaying a mileage value which is much lower than the true number of miles driven in the vehicle. Used cars with a lower mileage obviously have a higher resale value and some sellers will do whatever it takes to get the most money out of their potential buyer.

This information is actually collated on MOT records, so it is easy to find out which vehicles have had the information altered. This report has come about as part of an investigation into the activities of different mileage correction services. Some were more than willing to alter the mileage on used cars even though they knew that this information would be used to try to persuade buyers to part with their money.

There are of course a number of simple explanations as to why the mileage on used cars could be lower than in the previous year, the obvious one is an error in the data entry, but this is only an accepted explanation in a minority of cases, as is a faulty odometer.

Drivers buying used cars from reputable dealers should not have any problems, but can ask for verification of the previous recorded mileage if they have any concerns. Most reputable dealers will be able to provide information on previous MOTS.

published: 06/12/2010