Clocking crisis: The popular cars being targeted by mileage fraudsters using ‘undetectable’ tech

The rise of sophisticated mileage-tampering technology is increasing motorists’ chances of unwittingly buying a clocked second-hand car, This is Money can reveal.

Clocking is widely considered a lost form of criminality that was at its height in the 1980s and 1990s but was wiped out by the shift to digital speedos in cars. 

However, easy access to devices sold legally online that can wipe tens of thousands of miles from a vehicle’s odometer is driving a new surge in cases.

This new technology is being exploited by unscrupulous sellers looking to inflate vehicle values and trick buyers into paying more for used cars, while others are using ‘undetectable’ hardware to avoid excess mileage charges on finance arrangements.

Industry experts fear the problem could explode from 2028 if ministers press ahead with plans to charge electric and plug-in hybrid drivers for every mile they travel, creating a powerful new incentive to tamper with mileage readings.

CarVertical, which tracks mileage fraud, has shared exclusively with us the 20 models with the highest instances of clocking in the first half of this year – and the 

Nissan’s popular Qashqai family crossover targeted more than any other. Used-car buyers face a one-in-ten risk of purchasing one with higher mileage than advertised.

Britons should be on high alert because the rest of the top 20 is made up of household names from best-selling brands including Audi, Land Rover and Volkswagen.

Vehicle history checking service provider carVertical says the Qashqai has retained its unwanted title as ‘Britain’s most clocked car’ – an infamous crown it has held for the last two years.

And instances have grown significantly in the last two years.

In 2024, the Nissan SUV was at the top of the clocking charts with a tampering rate of 3.4 per cent. Last year, this jumped to 9.7 per cent.

And in the first six months of this year, carVertical checks found an ever greater possibility of finding clocked Qashqais for sale, with 10.8 per cent of those run through its history profiling system showing signs of mileage manipulation.

An average of 12,250 miles is deleted from the records of these cars, which inflates their second-hand value by hundreds of pounds.

With almost three-quarters of a million Qashqais registered in the UK, there could be as many as 77,500 examples that have had their displayed mileage tampered with. 

Matas Buzelis from carVertical said: ‘Qashqais are hugely popular in Britain and there is a constant supply of them on the used market. That can make mileage particularly important because two otherwise similar cars can command very different prices depending on what is showing on the odometer.’

The Skoda Octavia – which is commonly used by taxi businesses due to its high comfort levels and strong reliability, meaning there are plenty of high-mileage examples – was the second most frequently clocked car during the first six months of 2026.

Some 8.2 per cent of Octavias checked raised alerts for mileage fraud. The average wiped off their odometers was 17,869 miles.

It is followed closely by two Audi models – the Q5 with an 8.1 per cent clocking rate and 18,452 miles deleted on average, and the A6 at 7.4 per cent and 21,511 miles removed.

In fact, Audis featured prominently in this year’s rankings; six of the top 20 models with the highest mileage fraud alerts per vehicle are made by the German luxury marque.

The carmaker’s Q7 (6.2 per cent clocking rate), A5 (5.9 per cent), A3 (5.5 per cent), A4 (4.6 per cent) and TT sports car (4.3 per cent) all made the rankings, having not featured in the last two years.

As such, drivers shopping for second-hand cars with the four-ring emblem on the bonnet are urged to closely inspect the vehicle’s paper trail of servicing and MOT records to identify any mileage anomalies.

Buzelis says Audi’s conspicuousness in the rankings shows that motorists shouldn’t assume that mileage manipulation is ‘restricted either to cheap cars or to one particular type of vehicle’.

However, there are other models that are commonly being highlighted as a clocking risk.

Among them is the Land Rover Defender, with carVertical’s data including both the current modern SUV and the more agricultural 4×4 that came before it.

The assumption is that its 7 per cent clocking rate – up from 6.4 per cent in 2025 and 3 per cent in 2024 – is based on the older models, which are easier to manipulate and have increased in value since production ended in early 2016.

Mileage wiped off Defenders is typically far higher than on other models, too.

carVertical says that in the first half of this year, a typical clocked Defender has 51,237 fewer miles recorded than it has actually covered.

Other examples of models with large amounts of mileage being wiped from their records include the BMW 5 Series (3.8 per cent clocking rate), at an average of 38,388 miles, and the Volkswagen Passat (4.3 per cent), with an average of 31,745 miles cleared from the odometer.

The Range Rover and Land Rover Discovery, Volvo XC90, Vauxhall Astra and Corsa also make the 2026 top 20, having appeared in the list for the previous calendar year as well.

‘The repeated appearance of the same models suggests mileage fraud remains a persistent risk in parts of the used-car market rather than simply affecting a changing selection of vehicles,’ the history-checking provider said.

The dangers of buying a clocked car extend far beyond simply overpaying.

A vehicle showing an artificially low mileage may have endured years more use than buyers realise, meaning key components could be far more worn than expected.

That can result in hefty repair bills landing far sooner than anticipated, while ageing parts pushed beyond their intended lifespan could increase the risk of breakdowns and even accidents.

What’s driving the rise in clocking?

The growth in mileage fraud is partly driven by a surge in providers offering hi‑tech clocking devices marketed as ‘undetectable’.

Cheap ‘mileage blockers’ – also sold as ‘mileage freezers’ – are devices that can make it extremely difficult to identify whether a car has been clocked, allowing drivers to conceal the true mileage from finance and lease providers.

Rather than winding mileage back, they pause it while the car is being driven, making usage appear far lower than it is. They affect not just the odometer but also peripheral systems, preventing mileage from being recorded across the vehicle’s electronic modules, including the ECU.

These devices are so sophisticated that even dealers can struggle to detect tampering, meaning the true scale of affected used cars is unclear.

UK sellers exploit legal loopholes by claiming the products are ‘for off-road or research use only’, while also advertising them as ‘totally untraceable’ and ’99 per cent undetectable’ – raising concerns that fraudsters are using them to inflate resale values.

A simple online search returns dozens of UK-based providers offering devices described as ‘100 per cent untraceable and safe’.

Despite such claims, buyers face significant risks, as components may be far more worn than the recorded mileage suggests. Prices for these devices range from £200 to £900, with model-specific fittings.

Vehicle data firm HPI says the practice is particularly concerning because cars can still come with a full service history showing false – but seemingly legitimate – mileages.

It also avoids obvious discrepancies in MOT records, as mileage is paused rather than reduced, giving the impression the car has simply been unused for long periods.

Widely available in the US, these devices are now increasingly sold in the UK, with some companies offering installation by ‘fully qualified technicians’.

EV clocking could surge under proposed ‘eVED’

The Government’s plan to introduce pay-per-mile taxation for electric and hybrid vehicles could trigger a surge in EV mileage tampering in Britain.

In her Autumn Budget last November, Rachel Reeves announced a ‘fairer’ system that would see EV owners charged 3p per mile from April 2028, with plug-in hybrids paying 1.5p.

Motorists would self-declare expected annual mileage and pay accordingly. The policy aims to offset declining fuel duty revenues as more drivers switch to electric vehicles.

However, low-cost mileage-blocking devices threaten to undermine the system, allowing drivers to suppress recorded mileage.

Under the proposal, MOT tests would verify mileage annually and determine whether motorists owe additional payments or are due credits.

But vehicles fitted with blockers could display artificially low figures to evade the charges.

For customers who buy from the second-hand market, it could make purchasing a used EV far more treacherous than before.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said the scheme could create a strong temptation for ‘unscrupulous drivers to clock their battery-powered cars’.