How to spot a cloned car
A cloned car is usually a stolen car wearing the number plates and identity of a legitimate car of the same make, model and colour. Because the plates belong to a real, clean car, a basic registration check can look perfect, which is exactly why cloning works.
Updated 14 October 2026
Why a normal check can miss it
The cloner picks a genuine car that looks identical and copies its registration. Look the plate up and you see a clean history, a valid MOT and tax: all belonging to the real car, which is sitting on somebody else’s drive.
So the checks that catch a clone are the ones that compare the physical car in front of you with the records, not the records alone.
The checks that catch it
Match the VIN on the car (windscreen base, body stampings) to the VIN on the V5C. Cloners often change plates but cannot easily change every VIN marking.
Compare the car’s mileage with the last MOT reading. A clone may show a mileage very different from the real car’s record. Check the MOT history for test centres far from where the seller lives.
Look at the number plates. The supplier’s details should be on the plate, and plates that look brand new on an older car are worth asking about.
The warning signs in the sale
A price well below the market. A seller who will only meet somewhere other than the address on the V5C. Pressure to pay quickly, or in cash. No spare key, no service history, and a story about why.
None of these proves a clone on its own, but together they describe the typical cloned-car sale very closely.
Checking before you pay
An Odomint Check confirms whether a car is recorded as stolen, written off or on finance, and the free MOT history lets you compare recorded mileage and test locations with what you are being told.
What to do if you think a car is cloned
Do not confront the seller and do not hand over money. Leave politely, keep the advert and any messages, and report it to the police on 101, or to Crimestoppers anonymously. Give them the registration, the advert link and where you saw the car.
If you have already bought a car you now suspect is cloned, contact the police straight away and do not try to sell it on. Keep every record of the purchase. Your chances of recovering money are far better with evidence of where, when and how you paid, and with a timely report, than with a car that has passed through more hands.
Common questions
What is a cloned car?
A car, usually stolen, that has been given the registration and identity of a legitimate car of the same make, model and colour.
How can I check if a car is cloned?
Match the VIN on the car to the V5C, compare the mileage with the MOT history, and buy only at the registered keeper’s address.
What happens if I buy a cloned car?
It can be seized by the police and returned to its rightful owner, and you may lose the money you paid.
Check any car before you buy it
MOT history, every advisory and the full mileage record are free for any UK registration. An Odomint Check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen markers and salvage history, with a £10,000 data guarantee.