Vehicle history checks
Free car check vs paid history check: what each shows and when to pay
A free car check shows the DVLA and MOT record: make, colour, tax, MOT results, mileage at each test and safety recalls. It cannot show outstanding finance, stolen markers, insurance write-offs, keepers or plate changes, which sit on private databases. Use the free check to rule cars out, then pay £3.99 for a history check on the one you intend to buy.
What each check shows
| Information | Free GOV.UK services | Free DealerPricing check | £3.99 history check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make, colour, fuel, engine size, CO2, first registered | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tax status and due date | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Every MOT test with result and mileage | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outstanding safety recall | Yes (separate service) | Yes | Yes |
| Export marker and date the log book was last issued | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Police stolen marker and insurers' theft records | No | No | Yes |
| Outstanding finance and the lender | No | No | Yes |
| Insurance write-off category (A, B, S or N) | No | No | Yes |
| Number of previous keepers and dates | No | No | Yes |
| Plate changes and colour changes | No | No | Yes |
| Import and scrapped markers | No | No | Yes |
| VIN and engine number to match against the car | No | No | Yes |
| PDF report kept for 6 months | No | No | Yes |
GOV.UK information comes from three separate free services: vehicle information from DVLA, MOT history from DVSA, and the safety recall checker. The DealerPricing free check shows the DVLA and MOT information and the recall flag on one page.
Step by step
Use the free check on every car you look at
Enter the registration from the advert. If the make, colour, fuel or year does not match, the tax has lapsed without explanation, the car is marked for export or the MOT history shows failures and falling mileage, you can rule the car out without paying anything.
Free MOT and DVLA check →
Free check result confirming make, year, colour, fuel and tax and MOT status Read the MOT history properly
Mileage should rise at every test. Repeated advisories on the same part, a gap of more than a year, or a reading lower than the one before are questions for the seller. All of this is free.
Guide: reading MOT history →Pay for a history check on the car you will buy
Before any money changes hands, run a history check. It is the only way to see whether a lender still owns the car, whether it is recorded as stolen, and whether an insurer wrote it off. At £3.99, it costs less than 0.1% of a £6,000 car.
Vehicle history check →
What a DealerPricing history report covers: stolen, finance, write-off, export/import, scrapped, colour changes, keepers, plate changes, mileage and MOT history Run it again if the sale drags on
Finance and theft records change. If days pass between your check and the handover, run it again on the day; a DealerPricing report can be re-opened free for 6 months, but a new check reads today's records.
What you’ll see
- Which questions a free check answers, and which it cannot
- The three records that only a paid check reads: finance, stolen and write-off
- When a free check is enough and when to pay
Ready to try it?
£2.50 for DealerPricing subscribers. Report stored for 6 months with a PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free car check enough before buying?
Not on the car you intend to buy. A free check reads DVLA and MOT records only. It cannot tell you if the car is on finance, recorded as stolen or written off by an insurer. Use it to rule cars out, then run a paid history check before paying.
What does a free car check not show?
Outstanding finance, police and insurer stolen markers, insurance write-off categories, previous keepers, plate changes, colour changes and import or scrapped markers. These are held on police, insurance and finance databases that are not free to search.
Is a £3.99 car history check worth it?
On a car you are about to buy, yes. A car with outstanding finance can still belong to the lender, and a stolen car can be seized from you. £3.99 is a small fraction of the price of almost any used car, and the report covers finance, stolen, write-off, mileage, keepers and plates in one go.
Which free official checks are there?
GOV.UK has three: vehicle information from DVLA (tax, MOT status, first registration, engine, emissions and export status), MOT history from DVSA (every test with result and mileage) and the safety recall checker. Citizens Advice suggests a paid history check for finance, theft and write-off records.
When is a free check enough on its own?
When you are checking your own car's tax or MOT, or screening adverts before you go to see anything. As soon as you are about to pay for a car, the free check leaves the costliest risks unchecked.
Some checks are cheaper than £3.99. What do they leave out?
Usually outstanding finance. Some low-priced checks cover stolen and write-off records but not finance, so read what is included before you pay. Our price comparison lists checks that include finance.
I am buying from a dealer. Do I still need a paid check?
A reputable dealer runs one on every car it buys and will show you the report. If one is not offered, run your own: it costs a few pounds and takes seconds.
Ready to run it? Car history check prices compared
Related guides
Terms explained
- 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.
- Outstanding financeOutstanding finance means a UK vehicle has an active hire purchase, PCP or other finance agreement registered against it - and the finance company has the legal right to repossess the vehicle even after sale.
- Vehicle tax statusVehicle tax status is the current DVLA record of whether a UK vehicle has valid Vehicle Excise Duty (VED, commonly "road tax") in place - and if so, when it expires.