Checking mileage: how to spot a tampered odometer on a used car

Short answer: you check a used car's mileage by comparing the odometer reading with records from previous years. In Slovenia, the mileage is entered in the register of registered vehicles at each technical inspection. The recorded readings are shown by the public lookup on eUprava, the Slovenian state portal, and by the Evoca VIN report. Back these records up with service invoices and an inspection by a mechanic.

Why mileage matters when you buy a car

The car's price, the wear on its parts and the major services ahead all depend on how far it has been driven. If the odometer has been turned back, you overpay for the car, and a service that should already have been done catches up with you soon after you buy it.

Odometer tampering is not rare. In a resolution on odometer manipulation in May 2018, the European Parliament cited estimates from studies. According to them, 5 to 12% of used cars sold within one country have a tampered odometer, and 30 to 50% of cars sold across borders. The economic damage in the EU was estimated at €5.6 to 9.6 billion.

Where a car's mileage is recorded

The register of registered vehicles

At a technical inspection in Slovenia, the mileage is recorded with an OBD device and entered in the register of registered vehicles. It can also be read off the odometer. This has been set by the Slovenian regulation on technical inspections since 20 June 2024. The regulation already required mileage to be recorded at technical inspections before that.

You can see these records in the public register of motor vehicles on eUprava. For the lookup you need the registration number and the number of the registration document, so ask the seller for a photo of the registration document. The register shows the mileage, the number of owners and the technical inspections carried out.

The Evoca VIN report

If you only know the VIN, check the recorded mileage by VIN in Evoca. The report shows dated mileage readings from official records for vehicles registered in Slovenia between 2014 and 2022. The check is free and needs no account. You enter the VIN and an email address, the report opens immediately, and you also receive a link to it by email.

Service invoices and the service book

Service invoices and the service book record the mileage at every visit to a workshop. For stamps in the service book, check that the workshop exists and call it if needed. We describe what to do if there is no service book or it looks suspicious in our article on lost service books.

Services entered by Evoca partners are visible to the service card holder in their digital garage, after they add the vehicle with the card and enter the PIN. If the seller has an Evoca card, ask them to show you the history.

How to read mileage records

Sort the records from all sources by date. The reading must keep rising. Watch for two things:

• a later record shows fewer kilometres than an earlier one,
• the reading barely changes for several years even though the car was registered the whole time.

Either one is a reason for a closer check by a mechanic. Low mileage alone is not proof of fraud, because some cars really are driven very little. What matters is that all sources agree: the register, the invoices and the condition of the car.

Wear that does not match the mileage

When you view the car, look at the parts the driver uses on every trip:

• the steering wheel and gear knob,
• the pedals,
• the driver's seat, especially the side bolster you slide over when you get in,
• the sticker from the last oil change, if it shows the mileage.

If the odometer says the car has not done many kilometres but these parts are smooth or worn, ask a mechanic for an opinion. Also compare the mileage on the sticker with the latest service invoice.

What an inspection by a mechanic shows

A mechanic checks the engine, chassis, brakes and interior and judges whether the car's condition matches the mileage on the odometer. You can find an independent workshop near you among Evoca partners. In Slovenia, AMZS, the Slovenian automobile club, also offers a pre-purchase inspection of used cars. Either the buyer or the seller can order it.

The car's electronics help less than you might expect. In 2018 the European Parliament's research service wrote that new tools make odometer tampering easy and cheap and that it leaves no trace in the car's electronic devices. That is why records from registers and invoices matter more than what the car itself shows.

If the mechanic finds fault codes during the inspection, Evoca's free fault code explanation tells you what they mean. You enter the codes yourself. Evoca does not read them from the car and does not check mileage.

What to do if you suspect the mileage has been tampered with

Do not buy the car until the difference is explained. If the seller has no convincing explanation, choose another car, or negotiate the price with the records, the invoices and the mechanic's opinion in hand.

In Slovenia, odometer tampering is a minor offence under Article 51 of the Motor Vehicles Act (ZMV-1). Whoever tampers with an odometer pays a fine of €4,000. A vehicle owner who knew about the tampering pays €1,000, an owner that is a legal entity pays €2,000, and its responsible person €400. These offences are handled by the inspectorate and the police.

Selling a car with false mileage can also be a criminal offence. In 2022 the Slovenian police told AMZS that such a sale shows elements of suspected fraud. You can report a suspicion at any police station in Slovenia, by calling 113 or electronically through eUprava.

What Evoca shows and what it does not

The Evoca VIN report shows recorded mileage readings with dates for vehicles registered in Slovenia between 2014 and 2022. It does not show mileage from abroad, service history or damage. If there are no mileage records for a vehicle, the report says that no mileage data has been recorded for it. In that case, rely on eUprava, the invoices and the mechanic.

For a car from abroad, the Slovenian records start only when it is registered in Slovenia. We describe how to check the mileage from before the import in our article on a vehicle's history from abroad.

Check the recorded mileage by VIN before you go to view the car.