How to tell how many miles a car has and if they're real

Figuring out how to tell how many miles a car has is pretty straightforward on the surface, but it gets a bit more complicated when you're worried about whether the number on the dash is actually honest. Whether you're staring at a shiny SUV on a used car lot or a beat-up sedan in someone's driveway, the odometer is usually the first place you look. But let's be real—odometers can be tampered with, and sometimes they just flat-out stop working. ...

February 17, 2026 · 7 min · Montalvo Denisse