Fake Britain S01E03 - Fake Cars

From his 'Fake House' stuffed with counterfeit goods, presenter Dominic Littlewood reveals the extent of fakes and counterfeiting affecting motor vehicles.

When cloned vehicles - cars that have been stolen and given fake identities - are sold on, their unsuspecting new owners can lose both the car and their cash when they are confiscated by the police. The programme shows how to spot a clone by investigating two identical vehicles: one is real, the other is a fake.

A massive service book scam means fake service histories can be bought online to disguise high-mileage or damaged cars. Some sellers of vehicles pay a fee to be introduced to a buyer for their car, only to find out they do not exist. Victims of the fake seller scam where buyers are asked to send money for a car which doesn't exist also tell their stories.

There's a look at tyres which are being sold in the UK entirely legally, and which look similar to leading brands, but are lower-standard copies made in the Far East. On a testing circuit in Germany, the dramatically longer braking distances of the cheaper and potentially dangerous copies are evident.