Used car warning as 160,000 Brits risk buying model with a hidden past

Motorists thinking about have been urged to take particular care to prevent buying a model with a .

The used car market is big business, with nearly two million vehicles swapping hands in the UK each year. However, the vehicle history checking service has warned that thousands of the used vehicles sold each year have been .

Matas Buzelis, a motoring expert from carVertical, warned drivers that it is often particularly difficult for potential car buyers to check if the vehicle they are interested in .

He explained: "The age of a vehicle is no guarantee when it comes to and determining its condition.

"Mileage is one of the key indicators of how much wear and tear a vehicle may have, however this is not always a reliable indicator. Even newer cars with lower mileage and only one or two previous owners can come with a risk of odometer fraud."

Clocking is the process of adjusting the mileage on a car to make it more enticing, and often more valuable to unsuspecting buyers.

Despite being illegal to sell a clocked vehicle, carVertical predict that 2.1 percent of all used cars sold in the UK have false mileages.

This figure increases dramatically with older and generally higher-mileage vehicles, with 4.7 percent of all used cars with between 250,000 and 300,000km (155,000 to 185,000 miles) having been clocked.

Matas noted that the easiest way to determine whether a used car's mileage has been adjusted is by entering the number plate into a history checking service, with many able to assess previous records.

He advised: "The best way to mitigate the risk of odometer fraud is to have a professional, independent inspection of the vehicle done to look for signs that the car has been driven more miles than it says.

"A vehicle history check can also help to verify a vehicle's true mileage and provide the buyer with peace of mind."

Similarly, when looking around a used car for sale, drivers should closely inspect components for wear that does not reflect the mileage recorded on the odometer.

Outside, indicators of a vehicle that has covered a high mileage include stone chippings on the front end and bonnet, paint fading, scratches and cloudy headlight covers.

Used car buyers should also spend time inside the vehicle, avoiding any low mileage models that have torn or thinning seat fabrics, and shiny plastics that motorists would typically touch, such as the steering wheel and gearstick.