What is an Odometer Disclosure Statement?

When you sell your vehicle there are some federal requirements that you’ll need to satisfy regarding the car’s mileage and odometer reading. 

This page will provide you with all the details about the Odometer Disclosure Statement, how to fill one out, and the requirements you’ll need to meet when selling a car, truck, motorcycle, or RV.

Odometer Disclosure Statement Requirements

The Federal Odometer Act was created to protect buyers from fraud when buying a used vehicle. 

As of January 2021, the federal odometer disclosure requirements have changed.

The new law requires an odometer disclosure statement upon transfer of a vehicle that is:

• Less than 16,000 pounds. 
• 20 years old or less, starting with model year 2011.

The previous odometer disclosure requirement applied to vehicles up to 10 years old. 

Vehicles that fall outside of the new odometer disclosure requirements are exempt.

Model years 2010 and older are exempt from the requirement. 

Odometer Disclosure Model Year Chart

Refer to the chart below to see which model years will apply to the updated odometer disclosure requirements. 

The table below represents the age of each model year in each new calendar year. 

You can think of the model year as 0, and the preceding years as 1, 2, 3, etc. 

For example, a 2020 model year vehicle will be 11 years old in 2031, and will need to satisfy the odometer disclosure requirements. 

What Does Odometer Exempt Mean?

Odometer exempt status means that the particular vehicle falls outside of the federal odometer disclosure requirements.

Due to the vehicle’s age, the odometer disclosure statement is not required. 

Vehicles model year 2010 or older and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 16,000 pounds are exempt from the odometer disclosure requirement.

What is the Odometer Status?

The odometer status is an important part of the odometer disclosure statement. 

Essentially, it qualifies the details of the odometer to indicate whether the reading is accurate or not. 

The odometer statuses on a federal odometer disclosure statement include:

• Actual mileage.
• Not actual mileage. 
• In excess of mechanical limits. 

An actual mileage odometer status indicates that the mileage reading is true and correct. 

A not actual mileage odometer status means that there is an odometer discrepancy and the reading should not be relied upon. 

In excess of mechanical limits means that the odometer has surpassed, or rolled over, its limit of 99,999 miles. This is common on vehicles with 5-digit analog odometers. 

How to Fill Out an Odometer Disclosure Statement 

There are a few requirements needed to the odometer disclosure statement. They include:

• A reference to the federal odometer law that states: Federal and state law requires that you state the mileage upon transfer of ownership; failure to complete or providing a false statement may result in fines and/or imprisonment.
• The seller’s name and address.
• The buyer’s name and address.
• The details of the vehicle.
• The current odometer reading. 
• The status of the odometer reading. 
• The signature of both the buyer and the seller. 

In some cases, the odometer disclosure statement will be a section on the vehicle’s title. 

If there is an Odometer Disclosure Statement section on the vehicle’s title, use that.

In other cases, you may need to complete a separate form and include it along with the title and the bill of sale. 

Or, you may have the option of using a generic form as long as it meets the state and federal requirements. You can use our free odometer disclosure form to get started. 

State Odometer Disclosure Forms and Rules

Refer to the table below for each state’s odometer disclosure form or instruction on where to fill it out.