Used car prices have soared over the past two years. You can get more money for a used car with 80,000 miles on the odometer than one with 100,000. And today’s digital odometers can be changed easily by those with the right know-how.
You see where this is going.
A new report from Carfax finds that “more than 2.1 million vehicles on the road have rolled-back odometers, a 7% increase from the previous year – and up 14% over the last two years.”
Carfax estimates that the average buyer loses $4,000 in value by buying a car with a rolled-back odometer – before the unexpected maintenance costs it brings.
Those maintenance costs can add up quickly as parts fail long before you expect them to because they’re older than you thought.
“Most odometer tampering incidents,” Carfax found, “involve tens of thousands of miles.”
Plus: The most and least reliable car brands for 2024, according to Consumer Reports
How to protect yourself
The oldest advice is the best advice when it comes to used car shopping: Have the car inspected by a mechanic you trust before you buy it. A competent mechanic can judge the actual wear and tear on the parts against the mileage on the odometer and warn you if they have any suspicions.
If the seller won’t agree to a pre-sale inspection, that’s all the information you need to justify walking away.
Carfax also flags suspected odometer fraud on its vehicle history reports. If a seller won’t give you the information you need to run one, that’s a red flag.
Read: How old is too old for a used car? Here are the main things to consider when buying one.
States with the worst odometer fraud problems
Of the 10 states where Carfax found the most odometer fraud, nine saw increases in 2023:
| State | Number of Cases | Increase from 2022 |
| California | 469,000 | 7.2% |
| Texas | 277,000 | 12.8% |
| New York | 100,000 | 9.0% |
| Florida | 85,400 | 1.4% |
| Illinois | 79,000 | 7.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 69,600 | 2.1% |
| Georgia | 67,600 | 4.0% |
| Arizona | 57,000 | 4.8% |
| Virginia | 56,000 | 0% |
| North Carolina | 49,000 | 8.2% |
Read next: Good and bad news about used car prices: lower, but not much lower
This story originally ran on KBB.com.
