The BBC has revealed that over 600,000 cars have been clocked and are driving on Britain’s roads. These figures are also increased to 716,291 when vans and motorbikes are included. HPI has called for stricter enforcement to protect consumers and small businesses alike and the Office of Fair Trading estimates that the cost to customers when buying a clocked car, is around £580 million a year.

Eight out of every 100 cars checked by HPI also showed a mileage discrepancy and not only can these mileage discrepancies inflate the value of a vehicle, it can also lead to road safety risks. Your car (or van) may not have had all the necessary servicing and replacements parts changed as required.

So, buying a used car can be real minefield if you don’t know the tricks that some unscrupulous car sellers will try, so here is the checklist of what to look for. Alternatively instead of buying a used car have you ever considered car leasing a new one? It may cost less than you think and you can be sure the mileage reading is correct.

HPI’S TIPS ON SPOTTING CAR CLOCKING *

• Check the service history – Check the mileages displayed in the service history and look for service stamps from a genuine dealer.  Ideally the service invoices will accompany the service history. If in doubt, contact the servicing dealers and check the mileages they recorded at the time of the service.
• Speak to the previous keeper – Get in contact with the previous keeper (details can be found on the logbook). They can identify the mileage of the vehicle when they sold it.  Make sure this adds up with the current mileage.
• Trust your judgement – Check who the car was last registered to on the V5.  Was it registered as a company car but has done less than 12,000 miles per year?  Or is it 15 years old with only 20,000 on the clock? Look for any evidence that indicates clocking.
• Check the mileage – It has been known for clockers to wind back the mileage when you first view the vehicle and then return it to its original value once the transaction is complete.  Make sure you check the mileage is the same when you pick up the vehicle.
• Look for signs of wear and tear – Does the wear and tear on the vehicle match its mileage?  Be careful to look out for signs such as worn seats, steering wheels and other vehicle parts.  Also look out for brand new easily replaceable parts, these could indicate replacement that does not correspond with the vehicles displayed mileage.
• Conduct an HPI Check – The National Mileage Register has over 135 million mileages recorded on it, and can identify mileage discrepancies recorded against the vehicle.

*Many of these signs could be innocent, so look for more than one of the above as possible evidence of clocking

HPI, the vehicle information expert, has joined up with the BBC Watchdog team to warn motorists about the potential problems of buying a car that may in fact be an insurance write off. All vehicles that have been involved in an accident (and are written off as a result) are put into four Association of British Insurers (ABI) categories.

• Category A - This is for scrap only and these vehicles should not appear on the roads. They may be a total burn-out for example.
• Category B – This means the vehicle can be broken for spare parts if economically viable and again these vehicles should not be used again on UK roads.
• Category C – This is a repairable total loss vehicle where repair costs exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value.
• Category D – A repairable total loss vehicle where repair costs do not exceed the vehicle’s pre-accident value.

Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager at HPI said,”Criminals have been capitalising on a shortage of used cars for sale by disguising write-offs as a good buy. One in twenty five vehicles we check are recorded as insurance write-offs and the insurers are writing off over 500,000 cars a year, which confirms the scale of the risk to buyers”.

This is why leasing your next car may be a more attractive option as the costs involved may not be as high as you think and you can have peace of mind that your vehicle is roadworthy. Whether you are a small business looking for your new car (or van) or a private motorist if you do decide to buy, an HPI check will tell you if the vehicle has been involved in an insurance write-off.

Fuel prices rising

A new survey conducted by RoadPilot, the GPS speed camera application for smartphones, has found that 46 per cent of motorists have reduced their average speed in the past 12 months, with fuel costs listed as the main reason.

This was ahead of speed cameras and congestion and it demonstrates how UK drivers are monitoring their fuel consumption more closely than ever.

The number of motorists who have reduced their average speed due to fuel prices was 33 per cent, 22 per cent cited greater “road congestion” and just 13 per cent  said “traffic enforcement” was the main reason.

The study also found that 40 per cent of motorists are monitoring their vehicle’s fuel consumption more closely than they did a year ago. In addition, 86 per cent of motorists said fuel efficiency and emissions were “quite or very important” when buying a car.

James Flynn, CEO of RoadPilot said,”The cost of filling up seems to be a more effective deterrent to speeding for most drivers than the possible risk of incurring a speeding fine. It appears that motorists are putting their own driving driving techniques under greater scrutiny than ever before, and as a result their average speeds have started to come down, which can only benefit road safety.

Choosing your next car (or van) by its fuel efficiency can be a laborious process if you are looking at several models and that’s one of the reasons why the Vehicle Type Shopper on the site is so useful. Just select the manufacturers you are interested in (or all) and then set what combined mpg and what CO2 emissions you want from your next vehicle and see the results. You can also see the monthly vehicle leasing rental for each vehicle as well.

Vauxhall Corsa

The latest research from Carcraft, a used car hypermarket, has found the both male and female young drivers agree on what is the best car to choose. The Vauxhall Corsa tops the list as the favourite as it is stylish and offers many different engine sizes and variants.

Carcraft Sales Director, Paul Oakley, said,” It’s just a great car first car. With a purchase price starting from under £4,000, low running costs and good looks, it has everything a new driver needs- whether they are a girl or boy”.

Buying a car whether new or used is an important decision for any person, especially as a vehicle will lose money over time. Personal car leasing is now becoming more popular as many customers prefer a new vehicle every three years but don’t want the risks associated with car ownership.

Silver is favourite colour

The annual research from the used car company, Carcraft, has found that buying stereotypes are still alive and have not really been affected by the changing times. Top of the list as the most preferred colour is silver, with 31% of drivers opting for this over any other on offer. This decreased by only 1% from last year.

Coming in second place was blue at 25% whilst black and grey saw an increase of just 1%. The eighties favourite, red, remained steady at 9%, while green fell out favour by 1%. Carcraft’s Marketing Manager, Stacey Ludlow said,”Colour psychologists say silver denotes prestige and wealth. So it could be that drivers are outwardly trying to say, look I’m doing well despite the recession”.

If you are thinking of buying your car rather than car leasing then choose your colour carefully as when you come to sell it, you may find that if you have opted for a colour that nobody wants then you will end up paying for this. Car leasing will protect you from all the factors around car depreciation, as the leasing company owns the vehicle, not you.