Vehicle odometer clocking increased by 10% in 2015, according to official figures
According to the Local Government Association (LGA), instances of car clocking are increasing again throughout the country, as figures suggest a 10% rise in 2015.
Altering the milage of a vehicle on the dashboard odometer is not (technically) illegal in the UK. Mileage altering devices can be used within the law to fix odometers that show a false reading due to a technical fault.
However, knowingly selling a vehicle with an adjusted odometer reading without first informing the buyer is a criminal offence.
The LGA has said that dodgy auto dealers wiped millions of miles off car mileage clocks in the eight months following March 2015. LGA and RAC believe the law needs to be tightened to prevent the practice from further increasing.
An altering device can be purchased online for around £120, making car clocking a profitable business for unscrupulous dealers.
According to LGA, the increase could also be driven by the so-called Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) financing option, which can often involve a distance limit being placed on the financed vehicle.
Trading Standards for Nottingham City Council have recently sentenced two men to a total of 30 months in jail for selling up to 13 cars with an adjusted odometer. Trading Standards said that the pair had taken more than a million miles of the cars altogether.
The European Union has suggested introducing a complete ban on odometer altering devices throughout EU member states, and the LGA has voiced its support of such a move.
Simon Blackburn, of LGA, said: “…unless the proposed EU ban on mileage correction services is brought forward and made part of UK law, thousands more cars will continue to be clocked over the next two years, jeopardising the safety of cars on UK roads.”
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