Car Mileage & Clocking Check Ireland

What is clocking?

Clocking means winding back a car's odometer so it shows fewer kilometres or miles than it has really done. A car that looks lower-mileage seems newer and is worth more, so clocking costs buyers money. Modern digital dashboards can be altered too.

Why mileage matters

• Mileage is one of the biggest factors in a used car's price
• Higher mileage means more wear on the engine, gearbox, clutch and suspension
• Service intervals and parts like timing belts depend on real mileage

Warning signs of clocking

• Wear on the steering wheel, gear knob, pedals or driver's seat that doesn't fit the mileage
• Gaps or missing stamps in the service history
• Mileage on old NCT certificates, service invoices or receipts that is higher than the dashboard now shows
• Very low mileage for the car's age with no clear reason
• Dashboard digits that don't line up properly

Kilometres and miles

Cars imported from the UK usually show miles, while Irish cars usually show kilometres. One mile is about 1.6 km, so mixing them up can make a reading look wrong when it isn't — or hide a real problem. Always check which unit the odometer uses before comparing readings.

Questions to ask the seller

• "Do you have the service book and old NCT certificates?"
• "Has the dashboard or instrument cluster ever been replaced?"
• "Is the odometer in kilometres or miles?"

How to check a car's mileage

Enter the registration above. The full report for €29.99 lists the recorded mileage readings returned by our data provider, so you can compare them with the dashboard and the paperwork. It also includes finance and write-off checks.