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VIN Decoder Ireland

Karolis Bareckas

The car buying process takes patience and time and often involves one unpleasant part – doing everything to avoid cars with a fake mileage. As it turns out, this is easier to do when getting an expensive car.

Our latest research proves that mileage fraud affects both cheap and expensive vehicles – but the scale of manipulation varies.

Check any VIN to learn a vehicle's history!

Afraid of buying a wreck?

7.5% of cars under €5,000 in our research were clocked.

15.9% – the highest share of clocked cars under €5,000 in the study is found in Ukraine.

Cheap cars in Eastern Europe are clocked the most.

1.8% of all vehicles above €50,000 had manipulated odometers.

4.1% – the highest share of clocked cars above €50,000 in the research is found in Spain.

The cheaper the car, the higher the risk of odometer fraud

Since our customers buy thousands of reports every day, we can explore trends in the used car market.

 When it comes to mileage fraud, the trend is evident – the cheaper the car is, the more likely its odometer will be altered.

If you’re buying a car under €5,000, you should be cautious as 7.5% of vehicles in this price range are clocked. Vehicles priced between €5,000 and €10,000 are also risky, with 6.5% being clocked. The situation gets better and stabilizes among cars costing between €25,000 (2.5% clocked) and €50,000+ (1.8% clocked).

This tendency of cheaper cars being clocked more isn’t unique to a single market – 

lower-priced vehicles tend to have the highest fraud rates across many countries

When buying inexpensive cars, drivers are less likely to go through all the steps to avoid issues. For example, they 

may skip ordering a vehicle history report

 or taking the car to a service center for inspection. Fraudsters are aware of this and often target lower-cost vehicles by rolling back the 

“Buyers always look for cars with low mileage. But if they don’t verify whether that number is accurate, they risk being misled and significantly overpaying. Issues related to wear and tear may also appear soon after the purchase,” explains Matas Buzelis, automotive expert at carVertical.

Low-cost cars are targeted more often in Eastern European countries

Clocking rates in different countries vary significantly. 

Mileage fraud is more widespread in Eastern Europe

. However, this isn’t engraved in stone – odometer tampering is a common scam, and every country has its share of shady sellers.

Let’s take cars costing up to €5,000. Depending on the model, condition, technical specifications, and 

, you can expect to buy a 10–20 year old car for this sum. While an older, well-maintained car can serve you well, 

10–20 old cars often have a high mileage

1 out of 13 budget cars may have an altered odometer

But depending on where you live, the chances of getting a clocked vehicle may be even higher.

For example, in Romania, 11.1% of all cars under €5,000 were clocked. In Lithuania – 10.3%, in Latvia – 13.5%, in Poland – 5%, in France – 3.2%, in Hungary – 7.5%. While in some countries like Portugal, Italy, or the United Kingdom, the share of clocked sub-€5,000 vehicles varies between 2% and 3.4%, this doesn’t mean that buyers should be careless.

“The financial situation across Europe is different. Typically, buyers in Eastern and Central Europe are more price-sensitive. Buying a clocked car means that you’re significantly overpaying for it, which is a paradox, considering that people choose a low-budget vehicle to save money,” says Buzelis.

Luxury cars involve bigger financial losses

According to our data, 2.4% of all vehicles from €30,000 to €35,000 were clocked.

 In the €35,000–€40,000 price bracket, the share of vehicles with tampered odometers was 2.2%, the same as in the €40,000–€45,000 range. Even if we take the most expensive cars in this research, costing from €50,000, 1.8% of them had manipulated mileage.

Although scammers target cars at all price points, mileage fraud in the premium segment can result in greater financial damage. Our previous 

 shows that car buyers spend 21% more on average for a vehicle with a clocked mileage. What does this actually mean?

If you buy a clocked car for €2,000, its 

 may be around €1,600. In this case, you give away €400 for scammers.

 Now, let’s say you’re buying a used car for €50,000. Your financial losses may be around €10,000. And this is just a starting point, as its condition will be worse, and you will eventually spend more money on repairs than you may have expected.

While cheaper cars are clocked the most in most researched markets, this isn’t the case in Portugal and Spain. In the €40,000–45,000 price range, 4.9% of all vehicles in Portugal were clocked. In Spain, the share is even higher – 5.8%.

Typical signs that may suggest mileage fraud

 are full of vehicles with tampered mileage, it’s possible to avoid them. Here are some signs that may suggest odometer manipulation:

 Shady sellers sometimes offer their cars for lower prices to make a quick sale before the buyer finds out about the mileage manipulation.

 The condition of a car’s interior can also reveal its actual mileage. A worn-out steering wheel, gear knob, pedals, or upholstery may suggest the car has done far more kilometers than advertised. If the mileage is low, but the interior looks heavily used, that’s a red flag.

 Fraudsters may pressure potential buyers to make a quick decision, claiming that others are also interested. Those who rush into the deal without checking the car’s background often end up disappointed.

 Missing maintenance records or inconsistent mileage logs in service books or inspection reports may indicate that the seller is hiding something.

While these signs may not necessarily mean that the car has a manipulated mileage, it’s worth being extra careful. You can’t know whether the previous owner was just careless and didn’t keep the service records or is trying to scam you.

Either way, you should always check the history of a car you’re buying if you don’t want to end up among thousands of scammed drivers. And don’t forget that 

, which is also worth taking into account when browsing classified ads.

How to learn the car’s actual mileage from a history report

The carVertical vehicle history report has 

a special section called Odometer, where you can quickly learn whether the car’s mileage is genuine

The odometer readings of every car are represented in a graph, allowing you to see how they changed throughout the vehicle’s lifespan. In the real case below, you can see that carVertical detected 12 mileage records for this car since 2014. However, in 2018, its mileage was altered by more than 50,000 kilometers.

Buyers generally avoid vehicles with mileage above 200,000 km, meaning such cars will be worth less.

Not everything is black and white. Some cars change multiple owners throughout their lifespan, and the current seller may not even know that their vehicle has altered mileage. However, even if you decide to buy a clocked car, you can use the history report to 

Avoid costly problems by checking a vehicle's history. Get a report instantly!

Check your VIN

carVertical’s study analyzed actual vehicle history reports purchased by the company’s customers between March 1, 2024, and March 1, 2025. Vehicles with tampered mileage were grouped by price range, their share was calculated in percentages, and results were ranked accordingly.

Odometer fraud across different price brackets: low-cost vehicles are found to be the riskiest

Cars rarely spend their entire lifespan in one country. In fact, they’re very nomadic in nature and often change a few countries before ending up in a scrapyard. The high demand for well-maintained used cars across Europe drives imports in the entire continent.

While imports provide buyers with a better selection of vehicles, this also creates the opportunity for scammers to earn an additional buck. They buy a car in one country, manipulate its mileage, and then sell it for more than it’s worth in another country.

But how widespread is this problem, and which countries are the biggest sources of car import?

Enter a VIN code to learn more about any vehicle!

Need help buying a used car?

Germany is the biggest used car exporter in Europe, responsible for 26.6% of all imported cars.

In 12 out of 16 researched countries, Germany is the top source of imports.

Highest share of imports from one country – 41.6% (Germany to Czechia).

32.7% of cars imported from Finland to Latvia were clocked.

Overall, the highest share of clocked cars were imported from Lithuania – 15.2%.

65.3% – the combined share of imports from Europe's top 5 biggest used car supplier countries (Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, USA).

. It looks in top-notch condition, so you buy it. Soon, various issues start to appear, and the final straw is the broken timing chain belt, which, according to the car’s mileage, should have lasted far longer.

What happened? Well, perhaps the mileage was fake.

The sad fact is that countries often don’t exchange vehicle data. Whatever happens to the car in one country is easily forgotten in another. 

Scammers know perfectly well that proving the fact of manipulated odometer or hidden defects is hard, so they feel unpunishable.

 This is the main reason why cars imported from other countries are riskier. 

The main issue is that a huge proportion of cars across Europe are imported – here’s a snapshot of the details.

Germany feeds the rest of Europe with used vehicles

Since our users check the histories of thousands of cars daily, we decided to investigate where those cars are coming from. 

Of all vehicles checked on carVertical, 26.6% were imported from Germany, 13.5% – from France, 9.4% – from Belgium, 8.6% – from Italy, and 7.2% – from the US.

“European buyers have a strong preference for German brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen. People think cars from Germany are better equipped, properly maintained, and serviced. Sometimes, this creates an illusion of Germany-sourced cars being generally better than similar vehicles in other countries. Since many cars in Germany are returned to dealerships at the end of their lease terms, this creates a large supply of well-maintained, relatively new vehicles,” explains Matas Buzelis, an automotive expert at carVertical.

Buyers also favor French and Belgian cars, as these markets offer a steady flow of second-hand vehicles

 that are often in good technical condition. Additionally, imports from Italy are appealing because these cars tend to have less rust damage due to milder climate conditions.

A significant portion of imports from the US consists of damaged vehicles from insurance auctions, which are often repaired and resold at attractive prices. While this makes them affordable alternatives, 

buyers should be aware of potential past damage and hidden defects

Neighbor-to-neighbor: some cars only travel across the border

When diving into import statistics in different countries, Germany is a clear leader in most countries.

 Czechia is the most dependent on the German car supply

, as 41.6% of all vehicles imported to this country were from Germany. Other countries where German cars make up a significant part of all imports include France (32.2%), Hungary (32.3%), Italy (33.1%), and Poland (35%).

In 12 out of 16 researched countries Germany is the top importer. In Ukraine, the highest import share comes from the US (18.8%), Portugal – from France (40.3%), and Serbia – from Italy (20.7%). Surprisingly, most cars imported to Germany are from Romania – 11.7% of all imports.

While cars from Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and the US are desired in most markets, 

used vehicles are often exported to neighboring countries

. For example, 18.2% of cars imported to Latvia come from Lithuania, 8.1% of vehicles in Czechia are imported from Slovakia, and 28.2% of cars in Finland are imported from Sweden.

1 out of 8 cars imported from the US have a manipulated odometer

If you visit any classifieds website in your country, you’ll quickly notice that many cars have just arrived from abroad and are not even registered. While some deals may seem tempting, many cars are sold with clocked mileage.

Among the top exporters in the research, American vehicles had the highest chances of having a manipulated odometer – 11.8%

 of all imported cars to Europe were clocked. Considering that thousands of vehicles arrive every day from the US, these are staggering numbers.

“It’s worth highlighting that American cars can be cleverly manipulated when it comes to mileage fraud. For example, 100,000 miles might be presented as 100,000 kilometers, even though in reality that should be around 160,000 kilometers,” emphasizes Buzelis.

Poland may not be the biggest exporter in the continent (3.5%), but 11.2% of vehicles imported from this country were clocked, followed by Italy (8.2%).

While it’s hard to tell when the clocking actually happens, whether in the car’s country of origin or after it crosses the border, this is a big problem in the used car industry.

 And in some countries, the situation is even worse.

In Czechia, 18.9% of cars imported from the US had their mileage clocked. In Hungary – 15.8%, in Romania – 13.9%, in Poland – 11.3%, in Lithuania – 12.3%. However, this doesn’t mean that only American cars are being clocked – far from it. Vehicles from any country can have manipulated mileage, so trusting the seller blindly isn’t the best strategy when searching for a car.

You may think, ok, the situation may not be the best, and some cars definitely have clocked mileage, but is it really that widespread? Unfortunately, yes. Companies like carVertical are often born of frustration that so many people get scammed while authorities occasionally fail them.

economic losses caused by odometer manipulation may cost up to €8.77 billion

So, let’s say you bought a used car for €13,000 with a clocked odometer. In this case, its actual value may be only €10,000. You lose money without even noticing it! If later on, you decide to sell this car and the buyer will check its history, you’ll get less than you expected. Not to mention that its condition will be worse due to higher 

planning maintenance may be almost impossible

Businesses are affected by odometer fraud as well

Odometer fraud affects not only ordinary car buyers but dealerships as well.

 Many businesses acquire vehicles and then resell them. If they fail to detect a car with manipulated mileage, they can face financial losses. What is even worse for any company – selling a car with fake odometer readings may damage their reputation.

More and more companies adopt vehicle history reports to protect themselves from clocked cars. In fact, they often contact carVertical to integrate our reports into their daily operations, and the number of our business clients has been steadily growing.

 with various dealers in France, Italy, and Poland, which gave us an insight into local used car markets. For example, 

three-quarters of dealerships use history reports when considering to take a vehicle for resale

. This only proves that they don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

However, when it comes to providing reports to users, the situation varies. 62% of Polish dealers do that, whereas in France and Italy, only 9% and 6% of dealerships, respectively, accompany their vehicles with a report.

Since different countries don’t always share vehicle history data, this situation benefits dishonest sellers.

 It’s essential for data providers and businesses to share automotive data to increase transparency in the market. In some cases, buyers don’t even realize their car was imported. This allows serious issues like previous accidents, actual mileage, or even theft records to be hidden.

How to know if a car was imported, and whether it has a clocked mileage?

So, we’ve already mentioned that a car history report is a go-to tool to check if the vehicle was imported from abroad and determine if its odometer readings are genuine. But how to read the report like a pro? Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.

 and get the carVertical report, it includes a section called 

Timeline, where all administrative events are listed

. This is where you can check the country of the first registration, technical inspections passed, and when it was exported abroad. In the example below, you can see that the car was first registered in Sweden in 2011 and then exported to Romania in 2016.

Additionally, you can learn about the historical odometer readings. Just 

head to the Odometer section to check if the car’s mileage is genuine

. As we can see in the example below, the mileage was reduced from 192,559 km to 152,360 km. This is no coincidence! For many drivers, a vehicle with 200,000 km on the odometer is a psychological boundary they don’t want to cross. When the mileage is reduced to approximately 150,000 km, they may be more convinced to get this car. 

Methodology: how was this study conducted?

The carVertical study analyzed vehicle history reports purchased by the company’s customers between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Imported cars were counted by country of origin, their percentage was calculated, and they were ranked accordingly. The import countries most prone to odometer fraud were identified by selecting the ten largest import markets in each country and ranking them based on the percentage of vehicles with rolled-back odometers.

European used car import overview 2024: which countries export the most cars, and why are imported vehicles riskier?

You just can’t grab the first car you found on a marketplace and expect to drive for years without trouble. Technically, it’s possible, but you have to be among the lucky ones.

Just how lucky? That’s what we’re here to find out.

According to our data geeks, finding a car with a clean history can be quite a challenge.

 We analyzed a lot of VIN check data from a bunch of European countries to learn the statistics: how common are clean cars? Which makers are safer? And more.

A clean car is one that doesn't have any recorded incidents in its 

. Such a vehicle will hold its price better and serve longer. Let’s dive into the details of what a clean car is.

A car in our study can be called clean if:

The period between mileage records is no longer than 3 years

A vehicle with a clean history report must not:

Have been used as a taxi, ride-sharing, or car-sharing vehicle

While every driver wants to buy a car that hasn’t been involved in any accident or been clocked, in reality, the used vehicle market is full of cars whose histories are far from clean.

Want a car with a clean history? French and Italian brands may be your answer

Italian and French automakers can sigh in relief as they dominate the list of clean cars in Europe. 

Alfa Romeo takes the crown with 65.1% of vehicles checked on carVertical having clean histories.

 Peugeot (62.9%), Renault (61.3%), Citroen (61.2%), and Fiat (59.4%) are close behind.

Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, and Fiat produce economy-class vehicles that may be less susceptible to fraud. If you’re some shady dealer, you don’t want to risk clocking the mileage or hiding damages of some cheap hatchback, as your profit will be low. That’s why scammers target more expensive car brands to earn more money.

So, why on earth does Alfa Romeo have the highest share of cars with clean histories? Shouldn't it be at the other end of the spectrum?

While Alfas are considered sporty cars, they don’t attract the same crowd as BMW, Porsche, and Subaru

, whose owners may often indulge in more aggressive driving. Estimates say that, in 2023, Alfa Romeo delivered around 70,000 cars. That’s not a lot, as most manufacturers count their vehicles by hundreds of thousands or even millions of units. This explains why Alfa Romeo attracts scammers less. They just don’t want to clock the mileage of a car that may have a high price but fewer interested buyers.

If you’re some shady dealer, you don’t want to risk clocking the mileage or hiding damages of a cheap hatchback, as your profit will be low. Scammers tend to target more expensive car brands to earn more money.

What if we narrow down our scope and look at the situation in different countries? Apparently, the dominance of French and Italian car manufacturers is visible across the continent. Fiat has the most vehicles with clean histories in Czechia (54.1%) and Finland (91.1%). Renault – in France (74.1%). Citroen – in Hungary (54.6%), Croatia (72%), and Latvia (67.1%). Peugeot – in Lithuania (64.1%), Poland (50.3%), and Ukraine (64.1%). Alfa Romeo – in Slovakia (62.8%).

depending on the country, other car brands may also have a clean history

. In Spain, Lexus has the highest share of vehicles with clean history records – 88.6% of all VIN checks on carVertical. In the UK – Honda (72.1%), in Italy – Toyota (95.2%), in Portugal – Toyota (91.5%), in Romania – Lexus (60.5%), and in Serbia – Toyota (79.6%).

Finding a premium car without defects may be difficult

 finding a car with a clean history requires time and effort, some brands are particularly risky

. Among all vehicles checked by carVertical in the research, BMW models had the worst results – only 23.2% had a clean history. BMW has the lowest share of vehicles with clean histories in multiple countries, including Spain (8.9%), France (21%), Hungary (13.5%), Croatia (15.7%), Latvia (15.7%), Poland (6.9%), Portugal (3.9%), Slovakia (4.2%), Romania (8%), Serbia (22.3%), and Ukraine (11.2%).

Next on the list were Porsche (32.5%) and Volvo (40.8%).

In most countries included in the study, premium cars were significantly less likely to have a clean history, meaning that fans of these brands should be especially cautious when shopping for a used model.

Many people dream of owning a premium-class car, but they don’t always fully assess the risks involved in buying one. Since these vehicles are more expensive, dishonest sellers are more likely to falsify their mileage or hide defects.

To purchase a premium-class car at the lowest possible price, buyers often overlook its history

 or fail to check what kind of damage it may have sustained in the past. Later, as various defects begin to surface, you may face unpleasant surprises, and significant repairs can drive the ownership expenses to unpredictable costs.

How to find a vehicle with a clean history

So, obviously, you want a car with a clean history, the one that will be worth every penny and won’t cause you any trouble in the long run. Be it an economy-class Dacia, a premium Lexus, or a BMW. But where should you start?

 in the ad, so anyone interested in that model may check its history. However, some owners may forget to do that, so don’t hesitate to contact them and ask. 

If the seller isn’t willing to share the VIN or claims that their car is flawless and there’s no point in getting a history report, it’s a high chance that you’ve met a shady seller.

2. Check a car’s history on carVertical

 hop on carVertical and check the car’s history

. Evaluate any damage the vehicle has suffered, mileage, ownership changes, safety recall records, and its historical photos.

However, brace yourself – finding a vehicle with a clean history may not be easy. But this doesn’t mean you should completely ignore cars with minor issues. What is more, you can use this information to 

If the history report is clean or at least doesn’t contain any information that may suggest that a vehicle is a lemon, go for a test drive. 

Don’t forget to inspect the car for any rust, leaks, scratches, and dents. Check if all the electronics work properly.

 It’s best to try the car at different speeds and on various terrains. Listen to any 

If you still feel that the car you checked might be the one, do the final step and bring it to an authorized service center for inspection. If the vehicle’s history is unclean and it has past damages or other 

Research

Odometer fraud across different price brackets: low-cost vehicles are found to be the riskiest

European used car import overview 2024: which countries export the most cars, and why are imported vehicles riskier?

Research: A used car with a clean history – mission (im)possible?