The last 2 used cars I bought, I ran a Car Vertical report (paid) for them in addition to all the on-line free checks you can run - just for peace of mind etc. It still does not guarantee that cars are not clocked, and I believe taht if you have the manufacturer's diagnostic tools you can interrogate the onboard computers to determine the true mileage - but that also relies upon the computer not having been replaced during the vehicle's life. There are other signs you can look for, such as wear on the driver's seat, gear lever knob, steering wheel, brake pedal rubber (if present), wear to suspension components and bushes (if you are prepared to grovel on the ground), debris collected in the fins of the radiator etc etc; some of these also give signs of any crash repairs

 

Good shout asking this- mileage tampering is still more common than people think. I usually start with the MOT history on the gov.uk site too, but if something feels off or there’s a gap in records, I dig deeper. A few folks in a used car group I follow on Facebook pointed me to https://smartcarcheck.uk, and I’ve used it a couple of times now. Their reports flagged discrepancies I wouldn’t have spotted otherwise, like sudden drops in mileage that don’t line up with service records. Also, always check things like pedal wear, steering wheel condition, and seat bolsters – if the interior looks overly worn for the claimed mileage, that’s a red flag.

 

You need a paid history check for detailed mileage history. I use the free Full Car Checks report to narrow down my car search, then the paid report to be sure. It covers all the points for peace of mind, like mileage issues, write-offs etc