Vehicle check & car pricing guides
Short, step-by-step answers to the questions people ask before buying, selling or pricing a car in the UK. Every guide links straight to the tool it describes.
Free MOT & DVLA checks
Free, no signup. MOT history, tax status, mileage and DVLA details for any UK registration.
How to check a car’s MOT history for free
Check any UK car’s MOT history for free: every test since 2005, pass or fail, mileage, advisories and the current MOT expiry date. No signup, instant results.
How to check if a car is taxed
See if a car is taxed or SORN and when the tax runs out. Enter the registration into the free DVLA check for tax status, tax due date and MOT expiry in seconds.
When is my MOT due? How to check the MOT expiry date
Check when your MOT is due in seconds. Enter the registration to see the exact expiry date, the last test result and the advisories to fix before you book.
How to check a car’s mileage history and spot a clocked car
Check a car’s mileage history free from the reading at every MOT test, learn the two signs of a clocked car, and test the readings in our mileage checker.
How to find a car’s details from its registration number
Look up any UK car by number plate for free: make, year, colour, fuel, engine size, CO2, first registration date and when the V5C logbook was last issued.
How to check MOT advisories and failures
See every MOT advisory, minor, major and dangerous defect recorded on a car, free, by registration. Learn what each category means and which ones cost money.
Vehicle history checks
Stolen, finance, write-off, import/export, keepers and mileage checks from £2.50.
Looking for an HPI check? How to check a car’s history for £3.99
Searching for an HPI check? DealerPricing’s vehicle history check covers the same checks (police stolen, finance, write-off, DVLA) for £3.99, or £2.50 as a subscriber.
How to check if a car is stolen
Check whether a car is recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer and the insurers’ MIAFTR register using only the registration number. Seconds.
How to check if a car has outstanding finance
Find out if a car still has finance owed before you buy. A history check names the lender, agreement type and date for £3.99. Free checks cannot show finance.
How to check if a car is a write-off (Cat A, B, S or N)
Check whether a car has been written off and which category it was given. See the category, insurer and loss date by registration, and what each category means.
How to check if a car has been imported or exported
Find out if a car was imported into the UK or recorded as exported. An exported car cannot be taxed or insured here. Check both markers by registration.
How to check how many previous owners a car has had
See how many registered keepers a car has had and the date of each change, plus plate and colour changes, from a vehicle history check by registration number.
How to check if a car has been scrapped
Check whether the DVLA has recorded a car as scrapped. A scrapped car cannot legally be sold, taxed or driven. See the marker by registration number in seconds.
What is a vehicle provenance check and what does it include?
A provenance check verifies a car’s identity and past: stolen, finance, write-off, import/export, keepers, mileage and MOT. See what a £3.99 report covers.
How to check a used car before buying: the five-minute checklist
A five-minute used car check from your phone: free MOT and tax check, mileage sanity check, then a history check for finance, theft and write-offs.
How to check a car’s service history online without a subscription
Check 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 do
No service history can cut a used car’s value by 10 to 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.
Should you buy a Cat S or Cat N car?
How to decide if a Cat S or Cat N car is worth buying: the repair evidence to ask for, when to get an inspection, insurance and finance, and how to price it.
Cat C and Cat D write-offs: what they mean on an older car
Cat C and Cat D were write-off categories until October 2017. What they meant, how they differ from Cat S and Cat N, and what to check on an older car.
What is a stolen-recovered car, and is it safe to buy?
A stolen-recovered car was reported stolen and later found. What the record means, why it stays on the history, and the checks to make before you buy one.
What happens if you buy a car with outstanding finance?
Bought a car that turns out to have outstanding finance? The law may protect you. Who is protected, what the lender can do and what to do next.
What to do if you bought a clocked car
Mileage on the car you bought is false? How to confirm it, the evidence to keep, your rights against a dealer or private seller, and who to report it to.
How to tell if a car is cloned (UK)
How to spot a cloned car before you buy: match the VIN and V5C, check the log book watermark and serial number, and read plate and colour changes.
Free car check vs paid history check: what each shows and when to pay
What a free car check shows, what only a paid history check shows, and when the £3.99 is worth paying. A field-by-field comparison for UK buyers.
Pricing & valuations for dealers
Pricing and valuation workflows built on 680,000+ live listings from 11,000+ UK dealers.
How to get a trade valuation for a car
Get a trade valuation from live market data, not a monthly guide. Search the registration for trade poor, average and clean values, retail and part-exchange.
How to value a part-exchange in under a minute
Value a part-exchange at the desk: run the registration, check MOT and keeper history, read the trade bands and the days-to-sell figure, then make your offer.
How to price a used car to sell fast
Price used stock from live comparables: see what identical cars are listed at, what they sold for, how long they took, and where your car sits in the market.
How to see what similar cars actually sold for
Asking prices are not sale prices. See what identical cars sold for in the last 90 days and how long they were listed, then price stock and bids confidently.
How to check demand and days-to-sell for a car
Before you buy stock, check how fast it sells: average days to sell, active supply, demand level and a market rating for the exact model, from live UK data.
How to work out the maximum you can pay for a car
Work back from the retail price to your maximum bid: retail minus target profit minus prep costs, with the VAT margin scheme handled. Try the calculator here.
How to check a car’s factory spec and options by registration
See the exact trim and standard equipment for a car, decoded from the registration, plus the optional extras and packs that were offered for it with list prices.
How to check a car’s manufacturer service history by registration
Verify a claimed full service history against the manufacturer’s own dealer records: service dates, mileages, dealer names and service types for 22 brands.
How to use DealerPricing from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor (MCP)
Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any MCP client to your DealerPricing account with a personal token, then ask for valuations, comparables, MOT and service history in plain English.
Service history for dealers: pricing stock, part-exchanges and the £4.99 question
How UK dealers use manufacturer digital service records to bid at auction, defend a part-exchange offer and list stock with verified FSH. Included with a DealerPricing subscription.
How to compare live dealer listings near you
Compare every comparable car for sale across 11,000+ UK dealers: filter by mileage, distance, gearbox, drivetrain, doors and write-offs, then sort.
Is buying and selling cars profitable in the UK?
Buying and selling cars can be profitable if you buy at the right price and count every cost. Trader rules, real costs and how to work out your margin.
How to start car flipping in the UK: a starter guide for part-time traders
How to start car flipping in the UK: trader rules, insurance, tax, where to buy, what to pay and every cost, plus a free flip profit calculator to test deals.
How to buy cars at a trade auction: maximum bid, buyer’s fees and checks
Buy auction cars without overpaying: work out your maximum bid after buyer’s fees, prep and transport, read the condition report and check history first.
Used car stock turn: how to calculate it, and what is a good stock turn?
Calculate used car stock turn and average days in stock, see what your stock costs to hold, and compare with UK days to sell data from 83,171 sold adverts.
Free part-exchange appraisal form (PDF) and PX offer calculator
Download a free part-exchange appraisal form for UK dealers, price every fault on the walk-round, and use the PX calculator to turn trade value into an offer.
Developer API
Vehicle, market and pricing data by API.
How to look up a UK vehicle by registration with the DealerPricing API
Decode any UK registration into make, model, variant, engine and gearbox with one POST request. Test in the sandbox, then go live from £0.02 a call.
How to get vehicle valuations and market data through the API
Pull live trade and retail valuations, comparable listings and days-to-sell for any UK registration into your website, CRM or stock system with the API.
Using the dashboard
Feature-by-feature help for DealerPricing subscribers.
How to search a vehicle by registration on the dashboard
Search any UK registration on the DealerPricing dashboard to decode the exact vehicle and load matching live listings, valuations and insights in one screen.
How to search without a registration (manual search)
Use the manual search wizard to find comparable listings without a registration: make, model, mileage, year, fuel, transmission, body, drivetrain and trim.
How to run a vehicle history check from the dashboard
Run a full provenance check from the dashboard for £2.50: stolen, finance, write-off, import, export, keepers, plates and mileage, with a PDF kept six months.
How to check a vehicle’s specification on the dashboard
Open Vehicle Details and click Check Spec to see the decoded identity, standard equipment, factory options and packs with list prices for any registration.
How to use recent searches
Reopen any vehicle you have searched from the Recent searches list without using a credit, watch price movements, and keep your search allowance for new cars.
How to read DealerPricing Insights
Understand the Insights tab: market rating, active supply, recently sold, average days to sell, demand, competition and turnover for the car you searched.
How to get trade and retail valuations on the dashboard
Click Get Valuations after a VRM search to see trade poor, average and clean values, DP pricing bands, retail, part exchange and auction figures for the car.
How to check tax and MOT history on the dashboard
See tax status, MOT expiry, the last test result and the full MOT history with mileage and advisories for any searched vehicle, plus a chart exposing clocking.
How to use the retail price calculator
Work out the most you can pay for a car from its retail price, target margin and prep costs, with the VAT margin scheme, inc VAT and ex VAT handled correctly.
How to filter and sort results
Refine comparable listings by mileage, distance, doors, fuel, drivetrain, keywords and write-offs, switch between live and sold, and sort by price or days.
Prices compared
Dated price comparisons, re-checked monthly against each provider's own website.
Car history check prices compared
Single-check prices of UK history checks that include outstanding finance.
Service history check prices compared
What one online service history check by registration costs, the makes covered and the refund rules.
Trade history check prices for dealers
Single trade checks compared like for like: write-off, finance, stolen and taxi checks, and the full history check.
UK vehicle data API prices compared
Per-call prices for service history and market data, set against selected providers that charge more.
Car valuation tools for dealers compared
Seven UK dealer valuation tools ranked on price, data and features.
Market data
Monthly figures from the cars UK dealers price on DealerPricing.