Digital service record
Also known as: digital service history, digital service book, Digital Service Schedule (DSS), Digital Service Booklet (DSB), Digital Service Record (DSR), Online Service History (OSH), electronic service record
A digital service record is the manufacturer-held electronic log of a vehicle's servicing, written to by franchised dealers (and some licensed independents) in place of the stamped paper service book, and retrievable by VIN or registration.
Most manufacturers replaced the paper service book with a central digital record between about 2012 and 2016; Mazda was earliest (2005) and Ford latest (2022). Each brand names it differently: the Volkswagen Group (Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Skoda, CUPRA) calls it the Digital Service Schedule (DSS), Mercedes-Benz and smart the Digital Service Booklet (DSB), Mazda and Ford the Digital Service Record (DSR), and Jaguar Land Rover the Online Service History (OSH). BMW and MINI show it in the My BMW app and under Service History in the car's iDrive menu.
Every entry carries the date, mileage, dealer and work done, and is written by the workshop's own diagnostic system, so it cannot be back-dated or stamped up the way a paper book can. That makes it the strongest evidence of a service history claim. Its weakness is coverage: for most brands only franchised dealers can write to it, so independent-garage servicing is missing unless the garage holds the manufacturer's licence (common in the Volkswagen Group, rare elsewhere).
The registered keeper can usually see the record free in the brand's owner app or portal, but a buyer cannot. DealerPricing's service history check retrieves the record from the dealer network by registration alone for 20 manufacturers, for £4.99 or included with a trade subscription.
How-to guides
- How to check a car’s service history online without a subscriptionCheck a used car’s digital service history by registration for £4.99. Records come from the manufacturer’s dealer network for 20 brands, usually within 10 minutes, emailed as a PDF.
- How to check a car’s service history for free (and when £4.99 is worth it)Check a car’s service history free: the service book, the garage that did the work, the manufacturer’s app or portal — and when a £4.99 check by registration is the better option.
- Buying a used car with no service history: what it means and what to doNo service history can cut a used car’s value by 10–20% or more. What “no history” really means, when it is a red flag, when it is acceptable, and how to recover the records for £4.99.
Related terms
- Service historyService history is the documented record of every service, repair and maintenance event a vehicle has had — typically held in the service book, on the manufacturer's dealer system, or in a digital service record.
- Full service history (FSH)Full service history (FSH) means every scheduled service in a vehicle's life is documented at the manufacturer's intervals; FDSH means all of it was done by franchised dealers, and PSH (partial service history) means some services are missing from the record.
- MOT historyMOT history is the record of every annual MOT test a UK vehicle has had since 2005, including pass/fail status, mileage at each test, expiry dates, advisories and recorded defects.
- VRM (vehicle registration mark)A VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark) is the unique alphanumeric code displayed on a UK vehicle's number plate, used by DVLA, insurers and ANPR cameras to identify the vehicle.