Top mileage fraud cities in UK

Connected Car has found the top four UK hot spots where 18% of vehicles are displaying the incorrect mileage, three per cent higher than the national average of 15%, equating to nearly five million vehicles in total.

According to the data collected from a study of over 150,000 vehicles in the UK, part of a larger survey of one million cars: London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds were identified as the top four overall UK regions for mileage fraud.

One of the reasons for the rise in mileage fraud is likely to be the increasing popularity of affordable car finance plans. Personal contract purchases and personal contract hire deals often come with strict mileage limits where each additional mile can be charged at as much as 30p. This has led to some owners turning to ‘mileage correction’ firms that offer to dial back the odometer to avoid expensive financial penalties.

The knock-on effect on the used car market means unsuspecting motorists are over paying by millions of pounds every year for vehicles which have had their mileage digitally altered; the safety implications of which are very serious as modern cars rely on mileage to give an indication of what service is needed and when parts need replacing.

The study also found large discrepancies between actual fuel consumption and data stated by manufacturers, in some cases these figures differ by almost 75%, as well as changes to UK driving behaviour, with 40% of all journeys on UK roads covering just three miles.

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