What Car? Q&A - Has this car been clocked?

Q: How do I check that the mileage of a car is correct?
Anthony Collier

A: For a definitive answer, pay £39.95 for an HPI history check, which is available through www.hpicheck.com. Tapping into this information database should alert you to mileage discrepancies, and will also tell you if the car has outstanding finance, has been stolen or is an insurance write-off.

While one in 12 vehicles are thought to have fraudulently altered mileages, more modern vehicles are becoming harder to 'clock'.

Read through the car service history, paying attention to the mileage at each interval. It should increase steadily and with some consistency throughout the handbook.

When looking inside a car, there are several tell-tale signs which can indicate a car may have travelled more miles than the odometer suggests. Check that the seats and pedals are not heavily worn, and that the steering wheel and gear knob are not shiny.

Also check for marks around the instrument binnacle which would suggest it has been tampered with.