Free MOT mileage check

Enter a registration to see the car's MOT mileage history: the reading at every test. If a reading is lower than the one before, we flag it, so you can ask the seller before you buy.

Free, no account.
Uses official DVSA MOT records. We're an independent site, not part of DVSA or GOV.UK.
Your registration never goes in the web address.

What the check shows

Every mileage readingThe reading at each MOT, with the date and the result, newest first.
Mileage drops flaggedA test with a lower reading than the one before is opened and marked, for example “mileage lower than 2022”. The summary at the top says “Mileage needs checking”.
Unreadable readingsIf the tester couldn't read the odometer, the test shows “Not readable”. With no reading at all, it shows “No reading”. We skip these when we look for drops.
Kilometres and milesSome readings are recorded in kilometres. We change them to miles before we compare, and show the kilometres too, like “(110,500 km on the odometer)”.
Questions for the sellerThe two most recent drops go into your list of questions, like “Why is the 2023 mileage (38,410) lower than 2022 (44,950)?”

How we flag a drop

We put the readings in date order and compare each one with the reading before it. If a reading is 1% or more below the one before, we flag it. Smaller differences aren't flagged.

For example, if the earlier reading was 50,000 miles:

49,500 milesFlagged: 1% lower
49,750 milesNot flagged: 0.5% lower

Unreadable and missing readings are skipped. The next reading is compared with the last one we could read.

If the reading after the drop is back at or above the earlier level, the result says so. That can point to a typing error, but it's only a hint.

What a drop can mean

A drop is a reason to ask questions. It doesn't prove anything on its own.

A typing error at the test centre. DVSA says testers sometimes hit the wrong key or read the trip meter instead of the total. The MOT system warns them when a reading is lower than at the last test. Even so, in 2023 DVSA said it gets over 14,000 requests a year to correct MOT mileage.
A replaced odometer or instrument cluster. The new unit may not show the same mileage as the old one.
Clocking. The odometer may have been wound back to make the car look less used.

What to do

Ask the seller why the reading went down, and whether the odometer or instrument cluster has been replaced.
Ask for service records, invoices or a job card that show the mileage and dates around the drop.
If the seller says the MOT reading is a mistake, ask whether it has been reported. For an MOT more than 28 days ago, GOV.UK needs a document showing the registration or VIN, the mileage and a date within one day of the MOT. An MOT certificate or a photo of the dashboard isn't accepted. A reply usually takes up to 8 weeks, sometimes longer.
GOV.UK says a private history check can tell you if a car has a mileage discrepancy.
If you don't get a clear answer, you don't have to buy the car.

Guide: when the mileage doesn't add up Compare history checks

What MOT mileage can't show

Mileage between testsEach reading is what the odometer showed on the day of the MOT. An MOT lasts a year, so there's usually one reading a year.
Whether the mileage is genuineThe record shows what the odometer read. Readings that only go up don't prove it was never changed.
Cars under 3 years oldIn Great Britain, a car's first MOT is usually due by the third anniversary of its registration. A newer car may have no readings yet.
Tests before 2005MOT records for cars start in 2005.

What else MOT history doesn't show

Typical mileage at MOT, by age

Median reading at the 2025 MOT, in miles, for the 10 models with the most MOTs in our data. Retests not counted. Each figure is from 6,248 to 123,465 MOTs. DVSA data · For guidance only · How we count

These are figures for each model, not for all cars. Half the cars of that model and age had a higher reading, and half had a lower one. A car first used in 2015 was about 10 years old at its 2025 MOT.

Median mileage at the 2025 MOT, by model and year first used
Model	2020about 5 years	2015about 10 years	2010about 15 years
Ford Fiesta	31,300	63,900	93,900
Vauxhall Corsa	33,600	65,300	84,800
Ford Focus	38,600	77,600	103,400
Volkswagen Golf	37,900	79,200	117,300
MINI Hatch	28,700	62,500	85,900
Volkswagen Polo	31,700	64,900	90,600
Nissan Qashqai	35,400	78,300	115,700
Vauxhall Astra	34,800	76,400	99,400
BMW 3 Series	47,500	93,100	123,700
Toyota Yaris	26,500	56,100	82,000

Rounded to the nearest 100 miles.

Sources

Read on 1 Nov 2026. How we flag a drop comes from our own code and rules.

Check a car's MOT mileage