NSW Fair Trading Targets Odometer Tampering with Stronger Enforcement

NSW Fair Trading has issued a notice that odometer tampering remains a serious offence and a key compliance focus. The regulator is increasing its enforcement efforts to address the issue, which undermines consumer trust and can have safety implications when vehicle usage is misrepresented.

According to NSW Fair Trading, a significant number of matters relating to odometer tampering are currently under investigation. The regulator’s criminal prosecutions program has already resulted in several convictions, including a recent case where four individuals were convicted for tampering with the odometers of 11 vehicles and ordered to pay more than $138,000 in compensation to affected consumers.

Penalties for odometer tampering have also increased. Since 1 September 2025, penalty notices issued by NSW Fair Trading have risen from $1,100 to $5,500, while courts can impose fines of up to $55,000 per offence for altering, removing, replacing or interfering with a vehicle’s odometer to make its reading inaccurate.

Legislative obligations for motor dealers and repairers

All MTA NSW members are reminded to remain fully aware of current legislative obligations and recent regulatory updates impacting the motor industry. Significant penalties now apply under the Motor Dealer and Motor Vehicle Repairer regulatory framework for non-compliance.

In particular, licensed Motor Dealers and Motor Vehicle Repairers must ensure strict adherence to the requirements under the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 (NSW) and the Motor Dealers and Repairers Regulation 2025 (NSW). This includes the mandatory obligation to accurately record odometer readings for all motor vehicle transactions, as required under Section 52 of the Act and Section 23 of the Regulation. Failure to meet these obligations may result in disciplinary action, substantial monetary penalties, licence suspension or cancellation, and associated enforcement action by NSW Fair Trading.

To help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions, NSW Fair Trading encourages the use of the free Check a Vehicle Registration tool, which provides access to recorded odometer readings from the past three years where available. We encourage motor dealers to also use the tool as part of their routine due diligence when acquiring used vehicles, helping verify odometer readings and strengthen compliance practices.