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Mileage rollback check by VIN

Compare the asking-mileage on the dashboard against every odometer reading ever recorded in European inspection and registry sources — without taking the seller's word for it.

900M+ mileage records cross-checked

47+ country sources

What the mileage rollback check tells you

Carlytics aggregates every odometer reading we can match to a VIN — UK MOT history, EU technical-inspection readings, insurance write-off records, and dealer-service entries. Each reading is anchored to a date, so the report draws a chronological mileage curve and flags any backward step or implausibly flat segment. The check works even when the seller has not disclosed history: if the car has ever been registered in a country with mandatory odometer logging at periodic inspection, those readings exist independently of the seller. The report tells you the lowest pre-sale reading, the highest pre-sale reading, the implied annual mileage versus the declared mileage, and the country where the inconsistency surfaced.

Why it matters for buyers

Odometer rollback is the single most common form of used-car fraud across the EU, with EU Commission estimates placing the share of cross-border used cars with manipulated mileage in the 30-50% range. A 30,000 km rollback typically adds EUR 2,000-3,500 to the resale price. The good news for buyers: rollback is one of the easiest frauds to detect, because mileage registries are public and beyond seller control. The Carlytics multi-registry curve catches the vast majority of rollbacks against the recorded reading at the most recent inspection.

How Carlytics differs

Carlytics pulls every reading we find across every covered registry — typically four to twelve points for an eight-year-old EU car. We render the readings as a curve so the buyer can see at a glance whether the trajectory is consistent with normal use. Same data flows into the EUR 8.90 flat-fee report at no extra charge — no premium odometer-history paywall.

Run a mileage rollback check now

Enter the 17-character VIN. The full Carlytics report is EUR 8.90 — no subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many odometer readings does Carlytics typically have per car?
A UK-only car with eight MOT tests has eight readings. An EU car registered in multiple countries may have ten or more from periodic inspection alone, plus dealer-service entries. The report shows every reading we find.
Can a rollback be undone after detection?
Not by you. The odometer reading inside the car is the legally relevant one and rolling it forward to the correct figure would itself be fraud. Detection lets you walk away from the sale or negotiate the price down by the true depreciation difference.
What if no readings exist for the car?
Coverage is strongest from 2010 onwards and weakest for cars that spent their life in countries without mandatory inspection logging. Where coverage is thin, the report says so honestly rather than leaving the section blank.
Does Carlytics flag implausibly low annual mileage too?
Yes. A 14-year-old car with 38,000 km is statistically less likely to be genuine than rolled back at an earlier point. The report flags annual-mileage figures more than 50% below the EU average.
What is the legal remedy if I discover rollback after purchase?
Most EU jurisdictions treat odometer manipulation as fraud, allowing rescission within two years and full refund. In practice the seller has usually vanished; pre-purchase detection is far more effective than litigation.
Does the seller see that I have checked?
No. The check is private to you. The seller is not notified, the registry data is read-only, and no record of your enquiry is shared with the seller's country.
Are German export cars at higher risk?
Yes. Germany has high used-car export volume to Eastern Europe, and many rolled-back cars are cleaned up before export — meaning the rollback happens after the last German inspection reading.
How do I do a mileage check on a used car?
Run the mileage check by entering the car's VIN (or, for UK cars, the registration plate) in the search box at the top of this page. Carlytics looks the VIN up against every odometer reading it can find — UK MOT history, EU periodic-inspection readings, write-off and service entries — and plots them on a dated curve. The mileage check is the fastest way to confirm whether the figure on the dashboard matches the car's recorded history before you commit to buying.
Is the mileage check free?
The basic VIN decode is free. The full mileage check — the complete dated odometer history with rollback flagging — is part of the EUR 8.90 vehicle history report. There is no separate odometer paywall: the same flat fee covers the mileage check alongside the stolen, accident, recall and market-value sections.
Can I trust a mileage check more than the seller's word?
Yes, because the readings come from sources the seller cannot edit. A dashboard number is whatever the last person to touch the odometer left it at. A mileage check built from official inspection registries reflects what an independent tester recorded on a specific date — which is why a recorded curve beats any verbal assurance.

Related checks

Typical mileage by age: official inspection data

How far do cars really drive? These are the odometer readings recorded at regular periodic roadworthiness inspections of passenger cars in Central Europe between October 2023 and July 2026. Compare an advertised figure with them before you trust it.

Odometer reading by vehicle age: median and middle half of cars at regular inspections, October 2023 – July 2026050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000468101214161820Age (years)Age (years): 4 · Median: 58,000 km · Middle half of cars: 37,000 – 88,000 kmAge (years): 6 · Median: 83,000 km · Middle half of cars: 53,000 – 127,000 kmAge (years): 8 · Median: 120,000 km · Middle half of cars: 78,000 – 176,000 kmAge (years): 10 · Median: 147,000 km · Middle half of cars: 98,000 – 209,000 kmAge (years): 12 · Median: 167,000 km · Middle half of cars: 109,000 – 232,000 kmAge (years): 14 · Median: 180,000 km · Middle half of cars: 120,000 – 248,000 kmAge (years): 16 · Median: 187,000 km · Middle half of cars: 126,000 – 253,000 kmAge (years): 18 · Median: 206,000 km · Middle half of cars: 145,000 – 274,000 kmAge (years): 20 · Median: 218,000 km · Middle half of cars: 155,000 – 288,000 km
MedianMiddle half of carsOdometer reading by vehicle age: median and middle half of cars at regular inspections, October 2023 – July 2026
Age (years)Median odometerMiddle half of carsMedian per year
458,000 km37,000 – 88,000 km14,500 km
683,000 km53,000 – 127,000 km14,000 km
8120,000 km78,000 – 176,000 km15,000 km
10147,000 km98,000 – 209,000 km14,500 km
12167,000 km109,000 – 232,000 km14,000 km
14180,000 km120,000 – 248,000 km13,000 km
16187,000 km126,000 – 253,000 km11,500 km
18206,000 km145,000 – 274,000 km11,500 km
20218,000 km155,000 – 288,000 km11,000 km

Kilometres per year for the models buyers check most

The models checked most on Carlytics in the last 90 days, with the average distance each covers per year between official inspections.

ModelAverage per yearMiddle half
Volkswagen Golf13,000 km6,500 – 15,500 km
Mercedes-Benz E-Class18,500 km9,000 – 22,500 km
Mercedes-Benz C-Class15,000 km7,500 – 18,500 km
BMW 3 Series13,500 km7,500 – 16,500 km
Volkswagen Passat17,000 km9,500 – 20,500 km
Land Rover Range Rover17,000 km9,500 – 22,000 km
Toyota Corolla11,500 km5,500 – 13,000 km
BMW 5 Series17,500 km9,500 – 21,500 km

Worked example: is this mileage plausible?

  1. Compare with the age. An 8-year-old Volkswagen Golf is advertised with 55,000 km. At 8 years the middle half of cars show 78,000 – 176,000 km (median 120,000 km). The advert is below that range: not proof of fraud, but a reason to ask questions.
  2. Compare with the model. A Volkswagen Golf covers 13,000 km a year on average, so 8 years suggest about 104,000 km. The advert implies only 7,000 km a year.
  3. Let the history decide. Suppose the recorded readings were 52,000 km at 4 years and 78,000 km at 6 years, and the advert now says 55,000 km. A reading lower than an earlier one is the classic sign of a rolled-back odometer. A low reading that rises steadily is simply a car that was driven little.

Illustrative example built from the figures above, not a specific car.

Source: official periodic roadworthiness inspection records of passenger cars in Central Europe (odometer by age: inspections October 2023 – July 2026; per-model figures: April 2026). Model ranking: free checks on Carlytics in the 90 days to 23 September 2026. Figures are rounded; every figure is based on at least 100 cars.

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