How can you check if a cars mileage is genuine, if there's no (little) history?

 

The last few mileage readings are usually on the MOT.

However I don't put much faith in mileage and would rather higher miles and a good service history then low miles and no history.

 

In short, you can't.
You can look online at the last few Mot's to see if there are any discrepancies but it doesn't prove anything.
My RA for instance has done about 10 miles between last year's test and this years. To someone looking online it could appear that it's had a few miles pulled off it, but infact it's just been parked in my garage being worked on.

 

The usual suspects are always visible, shiney steering wheel, warn pedal covers, interior seat condition, the state of mechanicals, fluids etc.

But inshort you cannot as Matty as already said. Digital clocks are very easy to change and mechanical mileage gauges are even easier.

 

Thanks fellas... Also on another note, if the clocks are changed from KPH to MPH do they change the mileage to represent Miles instead of Kilometres too? So Mileage would jump from 40k kilometres, down to 20k miles (or whatever 40k km is in miles)?

 

No not usually.
However I did own an evo 3 a few years back where this had been done. It was all documented though.