Clocked and crashed cars

It is an offence under consumer protection law for a business to give false, misleading or deceptive information about the history of a car. It is also an offence for a business not to give relevant important information, such as if a car has been clocked or previously crashed.

Whether you are buying from a dealer or privately, check out our buying a car page to help you when buying a used car.

Clocked cars

Your car displays the total mileage it has driven on a meter called the odometer on the dashboard – this is essentially a ‘clock’ which tells you how many miles or kilometres your car has driven. ’Clocking’ means changing the genuine odometer reading of the car to make the car look like it has been driven less than it actually has.

The average annual mileage of a privately owned petrol car in Ireland is about 17,000 kilometres (10,500 miles). Diesel cars, if they have been used for business purposes, could have a higher average of about 24,000 kilometres (15,000 miles). If you are thinking about buying a car that has substantially lower mileage than this, that also shows signs of heavy wear and tear, you should be wary.

Buying a clocked car could turn out to be expensive as well as dangerous. If you don’t know what the real mileage is, then you can’t judge the real condition of the car, and parts that you think should be in good working order might be at the point where they are about to fail.

Top Tip

Before paying any money you should ask the seller to write the mileage, as displayed on the odometer, on your receipt. That way you have a record of the mileage the seller claimed was on the car if you find out later it was clocked. If they are not willing to do this, you should strongly consider walking away.

Crashed cars

Buying a crashed car could turn out to be both expensive and dangerous. If you’re not aware that the car was previously crashed, then you can’t judge the real condition of the car, and parts that you think should be in good working order might be at the point where they are about to fail.

Insurance ‘write offs’ can legitimately be allowed back on the road depending on the category of the write off. For more information on write offs please visit the RSA website.

What do I do if I’ve bought a clocked or crashed car?

If you suspect that the car you bought has been clocked or previously crashed, it is very important that you get a mechanic or an independent assessor to check out the car and its history.

You should also report it to us as soon as possible. A delay in reporting it may affect our ability to investigate the trader. We cannot investigate a suspected clocked or crashed car if you have had it for more than three years. You should also provide as much evidence as possible, for example, invoices, correspondence, details of any adverts or descriptions given when you bought it. You can read our car crime consumer guide for more information on what to expect if you make a complaint about car crime to us.

Last updated on 23 October 2023

Tags: car checks, car clocking, Cars, crashed cars

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Clocked and crashed cars

Clocked cars

Crashed cars

What do I do if I’ve bought a clocked or crashed car?

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