Mileage Information
The mileage record is gathered from various sources. It is presented in date order and shows mileage, date and source. You should check the mileage readings and dates with MOT certificates and service records to satisfy yourself that the sequence of mileages is acceptable. Our records, including the mileage you have input, flag up any mileage discrepancies. A discrepancy indicates that the vehicle may have been 'clocked', and that at some point the odometer has been tampered with to display a lower figure than the actual mileage. If necessary contact the previous keepers of the vehicle (shown on the V5C).
The sources of mileage check information include:
- DVLA
- The Driver And Vehicle Licensing Authority
- VMC
- Vehicle Mileage Check
- BVRLA
- The British Vehicle Rental And Leasing Association
- RMI
- The Retail Motor Industry Federation
This information is not validated and therefore some data may not be complete or accurate. Please note that a small proportion of imported vehicles may have readings in kilometres rather than miles.
Is there any significance to the BVRLA as a mileage source?
The BVRLA reports mileage on fleet and lease vehicles. These vehicles often cover very high mileages in short periods of time. You should also note that there is a high chance that the vehicle was self insured while it was part of a fleet. (see written-off vehicles).
Why is there a mileage anomaly?
Mileage anomalies can be caused either because the mileage you have entered is lower than one already recorded, or because an anomaly has already been created by previous records.
You should check that this input mileage is correct, then discuss this with the vendor and request proof of an odometer change.
You need to carefully check the service history (and MOT certificates if applicable), and if necessary contact a franchise dealer to verify it.
Please note that the DVLA do round up mileages to the nearest thousand.
What if there is no mileage information?
There are instances where no mileage data has been recorded. This can happen for example when the garage that services it does not submit any data. If the owner does not enter any mileage on the V5C form when he submits it to the DVLA for a keeper change, then no record will come from that source.
Occasionally a record is received when a vehicle is fairly new, then nothing comes through for several years. This is due to mileage records not being compulsory. You should check MOT certificates and service records to satisfy yourself that the sequence of mileages is acceptable.
Does the mileage you input have any impact?
If you input a mileage that is lower than the any we have recorded, this will flag up a discrepancy. Even if you do not enter the current mileage, we will tell you what records we hold. If no data is returned this means that we have no records.
Previous Keepers
We can tell you how many previous keepers the vehicle has had and the dates of change of ownership.
For example 0 previous keepers means that it is still registered to its original keeper and you will be number two, four previous keepers means that the present keeper is the fifth and you will be number six.
Look out for several changes in quick succession, it could mean that the vehicle is problematical, or it could be due to the type of vehicle.
The name of the keeper is covered by Data Protection and is not released to Vehicle Check by the DVLA. However the names and addresses of the last two keepers are shown on the V5C, the Vehicle Registration Certificate. You can contact those keepers to ask about the vehicle.
Please note that the keeper is not necessarily the owner, it may be a company vehicle or belong to a third party.
