Mileage Check · Free
Free Mileage Check, Spot Clocked Cars Before You Buy
Verify any UK car's full mileage history using official DVSA MOT records. Catch odometer tampering and confirm the dashboard tells the truth.
- Every MOT mileage reading, plotted in order
- Automatic flag for mileage drops between tests
- Average annual mileage versus the UK norm
- Recorded gaps and missing-reading warnings
- Data sourced live from official DVSA MOT records
Mileage history is taken directly from the official DVSA MOT history API. Cars under three years old have no MOT record yet, so mileage cannot be verified through this route. See our terms for full details.
Free Car Check for your vehicle
- Instant results
- No signup
- DVLA & DVSA data
Worried the mileage doesn't add up?
Add Experian's Vehicle History Check for just £14.99. National Mileage Register, multi-source anomaly analysis, plus finance, write-off and stolen markers.
What you get with your free mileage check
A free ServiceStamp mileage check turns the DVSA MOT record into a chronological mileage timeline so you can see whether the figures add up before you go anywhere near the car.
| Data point | What you'll see |
|---|---|
| Full mileage timeline | Every MOT-recorded reading, in date order, across the vehicle's lifetime. |
| Mileage at each MOT | Exact odometer reading recorded by the testing station at each test. |
| Mileage-drop flag | An automatic warning whenever the reading falls between two consecutive tests. |
| Average annual mileage | Derived average per year, with a comparison against UK norms by fuel type. |
| Recorded gaps | Long periods between MOTs that may indicate storage, SORN or a missed test. |
| First MOT due date | For cars under three years old, the date the first MOT becomes due (no mileage history yet). |
| Vehicle identity | Make, model, fuel type and first-registration date, so the readings can be sanity-checked against vehicle age. |
| Latest reading age | How recently the last MOT mileage reading was logged, so you can judge how stale the data is. |
| Coverage indicator | Whether DVSA holds full MOT-mileage data for the registration (most GB cars from 2005, NI from 2017). |
| Plate change flag | A note if the registration has changed (mileage history can be split across the old and new plates). |
The free mileage check is enough to spot the obvious cases. For ex-lease and frequently-traded cars where DVLA gaps can mask tampering, the Vehicle History Check (£14.99) adds National Mileage Register, BVRLA and RMI data.
How It Works
A free UK mileage check in seconds. Every MOT-recorded odometer reading, a clear timeline and an automatic clocking flag, pulled live from the official DVSA MOT history API.
1. Enter Your Reg
Type the UK number plate of the car you want to check. No signup, no email required.
2. We Query DVSA
ServiceStamp pulls every MOT mileage reading on file from the official DVSA MOT history database.
3. Get Your Instant Results
See the full mileage timeline on-page in seconds, with automatic flags for drops, gaps and unlikely averages.
What the free mileage check shows
Every MOT test in the UK records the odometer reading on the day, and DVSA holds that record for the life of the vehicle. The free ServiceStamp mileage check turns those readings into a single chronological timeline so you can see, in seconds, whether the figure on the dashboard is plausible against the car's real history.
For buyers, this is the single most powerful piece of free due diligence available. A genuine car shows a smoothly rising line: steady annual mileage, occasionally lower if it spent a year off the road, but never falling. A clocked car almost always reveals itself with a downward step somewhere in the history, or with annual mileage that suddenly drops in the last twelve months before sale.
The free check also compares the average annual mileage against the UK norm for the same fuel type, flags any drops between consecutive readings, and surfaces gaps where the vehicle was off the road or between tests. For the full DVLA picture across mileage, tax, MOT and identity in one view, run our free car check.
UK average mileage benchmarks
The simplest way to judge whether a car's mileage looks right is to compare it against what an average UK driver actually covers each year. The Department for Transport and industry-wide datasets give a clear picture of normal use by fuel type and by vehicle age.
| Vehicle group | UK average annual mileage |
|---|---|
| All cars (overall) | ~7,100 miles |
| Petrol cars | ~6,200 miles |
| Diesel cars | ~8,300 miles |
| New cars (under 1 year) | ~12,500 miles |
| Older cars (13+ years) | ~4,200 miles |
These figures are a starting point, not a hard rule. A motorway-commuting diesel can easily cover 20,000 miles a year and still be in excellent condition, and a second car that lives in a garage and only does the school run might clock under 3,000 miles a year for a decade. The signal to watch for is a sudden drop in annual mileage in the twelve months before sale, which is one of the most common fingerprints of a freshly clocked car.
A useful trade rule of thumb: very low total mileage on an older car is rare but not impossible. Very low annual mileage that only appears in the final year of the record, after years of normal use, almost always indicates the odometer has been adjusted.
How to spot a clocked car: the red-flag checklist
Modern odometer tampering is fast and cheap. A handheld programmer that plugs into the OBD port can roll back a digital cluster in minutes, instrument clusters can be swapped wholesale from a scrapped lower-mileage car, and ECU values can be edited to make the vehicle read as lightly used. The mileage record is your single best defence, but physical signs around the cabin and on the body confirm what the data hints at.
Signs in the data:
- Mileage falls between two consecutive MOTs, the single clearest fingerprint of clocking.
- Annual mileage suddenly drops to a fraction of the historic figure in the twelve months before sale.
- Sudden long flat periods where the reading barely moves on a vehicle that clearly hasn't been SORN.
- Suspiciously round numbers, especially repeated, where a tampered cluster has been set to a target rather than logged honestly.
Signs on the car:
- Pedal rubbers, steering wheel and gear knob worn far more than the dashboard reading suggests.
- Driver's seat bolster collapsed or shiny against a claimed low mileage.
- Service book entries or workshop stamps showing higher mileage than the dashboard reads now.
- Pixel issues, missing segments or unusual reset behaviour on the digital odometer.
- Mismatched paintwork or replacement panels on a car advertised as low-mileage and unmodified.
Treat any single one of these as a question to ask. Treat two or more, especially across both data and physical signs, as a high-risk warning and walk away. The cost of a wasted viewing is nothing compared to the cost of buying a clocked car.
The legal position: clocking, fraud, and what to do if scammed
Adjusting an odometer is not itself a criminal act in the UK, because there are legitimate reasons to change a cluster (a genuine replacement after damage or theft). Selling a vehicle without disclosing that the reading is no longer accurate is a criminal offence, and that's what catches the people who use it to inflate sale value. The relevant laws are the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and, for cases involving deliberate deception, the Fraud Act 2006.
Industry estimates suggest around one UK car in eighteen shows reduced mileage relative to its history, with an average reduction of roughly 46,000 miles. That scale is the reason mileage verification before purchase is so important: clocking is not a fringe issue and the cars sold this way are very often the ones being marketed as the best examples on the market.
If you suspect you have bought a clocked car, gather every piece of evidence you can: the advert, all communication with the seller, the MOT history, any service records and a dated photograph of the current odometer reading. Report the case to your local Trading Standards office via the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133. For serious cases involving organised resellers or large sums, report to the police as a fraud matter. Both routes can lead to refunds, prosecutions and the car being recorded against the seller.
Why MOT mileage has gaps, and what the paid check adds
MOT mileage data is reliable, but it isn't complete. Coverage starts from 2005 for cars and vans in Great Britain and from 2017 in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old have no MOT history at all, because the first MOT in GB isn't due until the third anniversary of first registration (four years in NI). Vehicles SORN for long periods, leased through a fleet, or sold between MOTs can show frozen or missing entries that hide tampering.
The National Mileage Register (NMR), maintained by Cap HPI, fills these gaps. It collects readings from independent workshops, franchised dealers, leasing companies, finance providers and trade auctions, often capturing the mileage between MOTs and on vehicles too new for the DVSA database. Combining the NMR with the MOT record gives a far denser timeline, which is exactly what professional dealers use before they trade.
The Vehicle History Check (£14.99) cross-references DVLA records with BVRLA and RMI sources alongside the NMR, so ex-lease and frequently-traded vehicles get the deeper verification they need. If the free MOT check raises a question, the paid check is usually how you answer it before you commit any money.
Mileage as a value, condition and insurance signal
Mileage drives almost every consequence that follows a used car purchase. Resale value, expected reliability, insurance premiums, service intervals and the order in which expensive wear items become due all key off the figure on the dashboard. Verifying mileage before you buy is the cheapest and most consequential piece of due diligence available.
A high-mileage car is not automatically a bad buy. A well-maintained, motorway-mileage diesel with a full service history often beats a town-driven car of the same age that has barely warmed up over short journeys. What matters is that the figure is honest, that it matches the wear visible on the car, and that the service history reflects the distance covered.
Pair the mileage check with the MOT history check to read advisories alongside the mileage trend, run the car tax calculator for the standing-cost picture, and use the used-car buying checklist when you go to view the car in person.
Free check vs Full History Check
The free check covers the basics. For peace of mind on finance, write-off and stolen markers, upgrade to the Full History Check.
| What's included | Free CheckFree | Full History Check£19.99 · save £5 |
|---|---|---|
| Tax & SORN status | ||
| Full MOT history | ||
| DVLA mileage timeline | ||
| Technical spec & CO2 | ||
| Outstanding finance check | ||
| Write-off & salvage history | ||
| Stolen vehicle marker | ||
| Mileage anomaly analysis | ||
| Plate & colour change history | ||
| Manufacturer service records |
Pair the report with a physical inspection
A digital mileage check is essential, but it isn't a substitute for looking at the car. Worn tyres, corrosion under the sills, poor crash repairs, hesitation under acceleration and electrical faults all show up only in person, and a structured walk-around catches things even an honest seller may not have noticed. Our used-car buying checklist takes you through bodywork, tyres, suspension, brakes, fluid levels, electrical functions and the test drive itself.
Together, the mileage record and the physical inspection give you the two perspectives you need to buy with confidence: what the data says, and what the wear on the car actually shows.
Why ServiceStamp
ServiceStamp uses the same trusted data sources relied on across the UK motor trade, so the picture you get of a vehicle is the same picture a dealer would get. Every check pulls live data from DVLA vehicle records, MOT test history, the Police National Computer for stolen markers, and the MIAFTR insurance write-off register. Paid reports add Experian finance data for outstanding HP and PCP agreements, plus multi-source mileage verification through BVRLA, RMI and the National Mileage Register.
Behind the data sits the team's automotive experience: technical knowledge, accurate interpretation of records, and the operational know-how to handle the edge cases that catch generic reg-lookup tools out.
Choosing ServiceStamp means choosing a check designed around accuracy, transparency and the safety of UK drivers, whether you're buying privately, through a dealer, or selling a car of your own. More on why drivers choose ServiceStamp →
- DVSA MOT mileage on every free check
- Police National Computer stolen markers on every paid report
- MIAFTR write-off register
- Multi-source mileage verification via BVRLA, RMI and NMR
Mileage check FAQ
How can I check a car's mileage history for free?+
What is a mileage discrepancy and why does it matter?+
What is car clocking and is it illegal in the UK?+
How do I spot a clocked car from the MOT history?+
What counts as high mileage for a used car in the UK?+
What is the average annual mileage in the UK?+
Why might mileage drop between two MOT tests legitimately?+
What's the difference between the MOT mileage record and the National Mileage Register?+
I've bought a car with a clocked odometer, what should I do?+
How far back does DVSA mileage data go?+
Can I trust the mileage on a car under three years old?+
Does a high-mileage car always mean a bad buy?+
Where does the mileage data come from?+
Does ServiceStamp store my registration number?+
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