Most used-car sellers are honest. But the used-car market is also where a lot of money changes hands quickly between strangers, and where fraud thrives. In the UK, three scams stand out for how common they are and how much they cost their victims: clocking, cloning and outstanding finance. Fall for any one of them and you could lose thousands of pounds, or the car itself.
The reassuring part is that each of the big three leaves a trail, and each has a defence you can put up before you hand over a penny. This article breaks down how each scam works, the warning signs to watch for, and the specific checks that stop it. If you read only one article before buying privately, make it this one.
Clocking: winding back the miles
Clocking means altering a car’s odometer to show fewer miles than it has actually covered. A car with a lower reading looks younger and less worn, so it sells for more. In the digital-dashboard era, people assume this is a thing of the past. It absolutely is not: modern odometers are electronic, and the right tool can rewrite the figure in minutes.
The scale is startling. A 2025 analysis by Carly suggested that roughly 16% of used cars, around one in seven, show some form of mileage or VIN-related discrepancy. Certain models are hit far harder than others. The Nissan Qashqai came out worst at around 9.7%, followed by the Volvo XC60 at about 8.4%, with the Volvo XC90 also heavily affected. Popular, high-mileage family cars are the obvious targets, because a big mileage reduction adds a lot of apparent value.
How to defend against clocking
Your best weapon is free and takes two minutes:
- Check the MOT mileage history on GOV.UK (gov.uk/check-mot-history). It lists the recorded mileage at every MOT since 2005. Read the numbers in sequence. They should only ever go up, and by a sensible amount each year. A drop, or a suspiciously flat few years followed by a jump, is clocking.
- Match the interior wear to the reading. A “40,000 mile” car with a polished steering wheel, sagging seat bolsters and worn pedal rubbers is telling you the truth even if the dashboard is not.
- Cross-check service records against both the dashboard and the MOT history.
Clocking is also, in most cases, the easiest of the three scams to catch, precisely because the government hands you a tamper-proof mileage record for nothing. Our used-car checking guide shows where this fits in the overall process.
Cloning: a stolen car wearing a legitimate identity
Cloning is the automotive equivalent of identity theft. Criminals take a stolen car and disguise it as a legitimate one by copying another real car’s number plates and VIN, then supplying a forged V5C to match. The “donor” is usually a genuine, roadworthy car of the same make, model and colour, often spotted in a car park and photographed. Buy the clone and you have bought a stolen car: when the police catch up, it is seized, and you lose both the car and your money.
How to spot a clone
- Check the VIN in all three locations. The VIN appears on the dashboard (through the windscreen), on the driver’s door pillar, and often under the bonnet. All three must read identically, and they must match the VIN on the V5C. Any mismatch, or a plate that looks tampered with, is a serious warning.
- Scrutinise the V5C. Hold it to the light for the “DVL” watermark, check the paper texture and colour, and confirm the keeper’s details match the seller and the address. Be especially wary of stolen blank serial ranges BG8229501 to BG9999030 and BI2305501 to BI2800000.
- Cross-check with the DVLA vehicle enquiry. If DVLA’s colour, engine size or year does not match the car in front of you, stop.
- Distrust a bargain. A cloned car is usually priced to sell fast. A price that seems too good to be true, paired with a seller keen to meet somewhere neutral and take cash, should set alarm bells ringing.
Outstanding finance: buying a car that is not the seller’s to sell
This is the quiet one, and arguably the most financially dangerous. If the seller bought the car on hire purchase or a similar agreement and has not cleared it, the finance company legally owns the car until the debt is settled. Sell it to you and they can still repossess it, leaving you out of pocket with no car.
Crucially, none of the free GOV.UK checks reveal outstanding finance. This is one of the main reasons a paid history check exists, and we compare the two in detail in free GOV.UK checks vs a paid HPI check.
How to protect yourself
- Run a paid finance check before buying anything more than a scrap-value car. It will show finance registered against the vehicle.
- If finance is outstanding, get a settlement figure from the seller and, ideally, pay the finance company directly to clear it, then buy the balance. Do not simply accept a promise that it is “being sorted.”
- Know your (limited) legal position. Under the Hire Purchase Act 1964, section 27, a private buyer who purchases in good faith and without notice of the finance may acquire good title. But this is a last line of defence, not a plan. It is slow, uncertain and often disputed. Never rely on it; check first.
The common thread
All three scams share a weakness: they cannot survive proper checking. Clocking dies against the GOV.UK MOT record. Cloning dies against a careful VIN and V5C inspection. Outstanding finance dies against a paid history check. Do all three and you have shut the door on the vast majority of UK used-car fraud.
The trouble is that these checks are scattered across different tools and easy to rush when a seller is pushing you to decide. MotoPPI pulls them together: it checks a car’s history across more than 20 databases, walks you through a model-specific inspection checklist, and estimates repair costs so you can see exactly what you are dealing with. Your first check is free.
Download MotoPPI on the App Store and check your next car for free.
Frequently asked questions
How common is clocking in the UK?
More common than most people think. A 2025 analysis suggested around 16%, roughly one in seven used cars, show a mileage or VIN discrepancy. The Nissan Qashqai and Volvo XC60 are among the worst affected models.
How do I check if a car has been cloned?
Compare the VIN in all three locations on the car (dashboard, door pillar and under the bonnet) against each other and against the V5C. Check the V5C for the “DVL” watermark and avoid known stolen serial ranges. Any mismatch or a suspiciously low price is a red flag.
Can I lose a car I bought if it had outstanding finance?
Potentially, yes. The finance company owns the car until the debt is cleared and can repossess it. The Hire Purchase Act 1964 may protect a good-faith private buyer, but it is unreliable, so always run a paid finance check first.
Do free GOV.UK checks show outstanding finance?
No. Outstanding finance, write-off category and stolen markers are all absent from the free data. You need a paid history check to see them.
Read next
- How to check a used car in the UK - the full pre-purchase process.
- Free GOV.UK checks vs a paid HPI check - which tools catch which scams.
- What used car for £3,000, £8,000 or £15,000 - sensible buys that attract fewer chancers.
Do you inspect cars for a living? Have a look at MotoPPI for partners.