Check a car before you buy it
Type the number plate from the advert. The MOT history loads straight away, every free check opens with the plate ready to paste and your notes stay on this device under that plate.
Official checks
Where else is it advertised?
The same car listed by two different “private sellers” at two prices is a trader or worse. A reg that shows up on a salvage auction is a write-off. Most adverts hide the plate, so also search the make, model and mileage on each site.
Service history check
MOT readings fill in automatically. Add what the seller shows you (service book stamps, invoices, the advertised mileage) and the check looks for mileage that goes backwards, long gaps and intervals that were skipped.
Photos or PDFs of the service book and invoices, up to 10 files of 5 MB each. The dates, mileages and garages are read for you and added as rows to tick once you’ve checked them against the paper. Files are read by an AI service and not kept.
Paste the MOT history page instead
If the MOT history doesn’t load, open the MOT history link above, select all the text on the results page (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C) and paste it here. Dates and mileages are picked out automatically.
| Date | Mileage | Type | Detail (garage, result, work done) | Checked | Remove |
|---|
MOT advisories and defects
On the day
How the used car check works
Start with the number plate from the advert. The format tells you roughly when and where the car was first registered, so a plate that is older than the model year in the advert is the first thing to ask about.
When you type a full plate, the page asks the DVSA MOT history service for every test on record. Each test brings back the date, the mileage, the result and any advisories or defects. They fill the service history table, along with the make, model, colour and first registration date, so you can compare them with the advert and the V5C logbook.
Is this car clocked?
Clocking means winding the odometer back to make a car look less used. MOT readings are the best defence, because the tester records the mileage at every test. The check flags:
- a reading lower than the one before it
- a long gap with no test or service
- an advertised mileage lower than the last MOT
- service intervals that were skipped or stamped twice
Add the seller’s service stamps and invoices too. Type them in or upload photos of the service book: the entries are read for you and added as rows you tick once you’ve checked them against the page. Stamps that don’t line up with the MOT mileages say as much as a gap does.
What a free check can’t tell you
MOT, DVLA and askMID records are free, but none of them shows outstanding finance, an insurance write-off category such as Cat S or Cat N, a stolen marker or a plate change. Those need a paid history check, which is worth it on anything over a few hundred pounds. If finance is still owed, the car may belong to the lender rather than the person selling it.
Questions people ask
How can I tell if a car has been clocked?
Compare the mileage on the dashboard and in the advert with every reading in the MOT history. The readings should rise at each test, so one that drops, or a small rise after a long gap, needs a good explanation. Service stamps and old invoices with mileages give you more points to compare.
What do Cat S and Cat N mean?
They are insurance write-off categories. Cat S means the car had structural damage, for example to the chassis or crumple zones, and has been repaired. Cat N means the damage was not structural. Both can legally go back on the road, but they are usually worth less than a car with a clean history.
Is a free MOT history check enough before buying?
It shows the mileage and condition at each test, but not whether finance is still owed, whether the car has been written off or stolen, or how many keepers it has had. For those you need a paid history check. Use the free checks first to rule a car out before you pay for one.
What do MOT advisories mean?
Advisories are things the tester noticed that did not fail the test but will need attention, such as tyres close to the limit or light corrosion. The same advisory year after year suggests the owner never fixed it. Defects marked dangerous or major mean the car failed that test.
Why does a car have no MOT history?
Cars do not need an MOT until they are three years old in Great Britain, or four years old in Northern Ireland, so a newer car has no tests yet and the check shows when the first one is due. If an older car shows nothing, check the plate is typed correctly.