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CARFAX: Odometer Rollbacks on the Rise

Digital Odometers Can Be Easily Manipulated, Costing Unsuspecting Buyers Thousands

CENTREVILLE, Va. (Dec. 15, 2022) – Alarming new numbers from CARFAX show odometer rollbacks are on the rise nationwide. More than 1.9 million vehicles on the road have had their odometer rolled back – a 7% increase from the previous year. Consumers lose an average of $4,000 in value from unknowingly buying a rolled back car, and that doesn’t include unexpected maintenance costs. 

“Many people think odometer fraud disappeared with the invention of digital odometers,” said Emilie Voss, Public Relations Director for CARFAX. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re still seeing the number of vehicles on the road with a rolled back odometer rise year-over-year. It takes con artists a matter of minutes to wipe thousands and thousands of miles off a vehicle’s odometer, and unfortunately these swindlers likely see this unprecedented used car market as a way to make a quick buck.”

These are the 10 states nationwide with the most vehicles with rolled back odometers, all of which saw increases:

Chart showing the top 10 states nationwide with the most vehicles with rolled back odometers, all of which saw increases. They are, in order, California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, and North Carolina.

CARFAX offers a free Odometer Fraud Check tool and tips to protect yourself at www.carfax.com/odo.

Editor’s note: Interviews with a used car expert from CARFAX are available at any time, including localized numbers on odometer fraud. Please contact Emilie Voss at EmilieVoss@carfax.com or call 703-934-2664 ext. 4462.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of S&P Global Mobility, helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX® vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car ListingsCARFAX Car CareCARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world’s largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell – Show me the CARFAX®.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). S&P Global is the world’s foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets.