How to check a Japanese car’s mileage on JEVIC
JEVIC records a car’s mileage before it leaves Japan, and that record is the most reliable figure a buyer in Malta can check. This guide shows how to look it up and what to compare it with.
What is JEVIC?
JEVIC is a Japanese company that certifies second-hand cars before they are exported. Its inspectors write a certificate on the condition of the car, including its mileage, and the records are kept in an online database that can be searched with the car’s chassis number.
What you need
You only need the car’s chassis (frame) number. Japanese domestic-market cars usually have a short number made of a model code, a dash and a serial number, for example NHP10-1234567, instead of a 17-character VIN.
Find it in three places and make sure they all match: on the plate in the engine bay or door pillar of the car, on the Maltese logbook, and on the import papers and the JEVIC certificate. If the number on the car does not match the paperwork, stop.
Step by step
- Read the chassis number from the plate on the car itself, not only from the documents the dealer gives you.
- Open the JEVIC e-certificate page.
- Enter the chassis number (or VIN) and submit.
- Write down the mileage the record shows.
- Compare it with the mileage on the paper JEVIC certificate, the Japanese auction sheet, the export (deregistration) certificate, the Maltese logbook and the dashboard.
What a good result looks like
The online figure should match the paper JEVIC certificate. Readings taken later, such as the logbook when the car was registered in Malta and the dashboard today, should be the same or slightly higher. A later reading that is lower than the JEVIC figure means the odometer may have been wound back.
Why not trust the paper certificate alone?
In the Maltese odometer fraud cases reported in 2022, a forged JEVIC certificate showing the fake mileage was used. The only way to be sure is to look the figure up yourself on JEVIC’s website, as described above.
One reported example: a Mazda Demio was registered in Malta with 38,887 km, while its original JEVIC certificate showed 109,785 km.
If the numbers do not match
Treat any mismatch as a red flag. Do not pay, ask the dealer to explain in writing, and have an independent mechanic inspect the car. If you have already bought the car, read what to do if your car’s mileage was tampered with.
You can also read the guide to Japanese auction sheets and the FAQ.