Buying a used car can feel like a bit of a gamble. You’re standing there, looking at what seems like a decent motor, but there’s always that nagging voice in your head asking what you DON’T know about it. Here’s the thing though, you don’t have to rely on gut feeling or the seller’s reassurances. There are ways to dig into a car’s history that can reveal all sorts of things you might not want to discover AFTER you’ve handed over your cash.
From outstanding finance to dodgy mileage readings, a proper vehicle history check can save you thousands. And the good news? Some of these checks won’t cost you a penny. A thorough free car check combined with more detailed paid services gives you the full picture before you commit.
Why Checking Vehicle History Actually Matters
I think most people understand that buying a car without checking its history is risky. But do they really understand HOW risky? We’re not just talking about buying something that breaks down a week later (though that’s annoying enough). We’re talking about potentially buying a stolen vehicle, or one that’s been written off & poorly repaired, or worse still, one with outstanding finance that could be legally repossessed even after you’ve bought it.
The used car market is massive. Thousands of vehicles change hands every single day. Most transactions are legitimate, but there’s enough dodgy stuff going on that you need to protect yourself. Perhaps you’re thinking “but I’m buying from a dealer, surely that’s safe?” Well, dealers can be conned too. Sometimes they genuinely don’t know what they’re selling.
A comprehensive vehicle check reveals information that isn’t always obvious from looking at the car or chatting to the seller. It can show you if the mileage has been clocked back (more common than you’d think), if it’s been in a serious accident, if it’s currently stolen, or if there’s money owed on it.
Not exactly trivial stuff.
Free Services vs Paid History Checks
You’ve got options when it comes to checking a car’s history. Some are free, some you’ll have to pay for. The free ones are genuinely useful but they don’t tell you everything. The paid services go deeper & give you a more complete picture.
The DVLA offers some basic information for free. You can check tax status and when it expires using the vehicle registration number. This is straightforward and takes about 30 seconds on the GOV.UK website. Similarly, the GOV.UK MOT history checker is completely free and surprisingly detailed. It shows you every MOT test result, mileage readings at each test, and reasons for any failures. This is incredibly valuable stuff and it doesn’t cost you anything.
Then you’ve got the paid services. HPI checks are probably the most well known. They cost around £20 to £30 depending on which package you choose. Other providers include Motorscan, AA Car History Check, and RAC Vehicle History. Services like Motorscan also offer a free car check you can try.
These services access databases that free checks simply can’t reach. They’ll tell you about outstanding finance (which affects around 1 in 3 cars apparently), write off status, stolen vehicle records, and previous ownership details. Worth the money? I’d say absolutely, especially if you’re spending several thousand pounds on a car.
What Information Gets Revealed
So what exactly are you going to find out when you run these checks? Let’s break it down because it’s quite a lot.
Outstanding Finance
This is HUGE. If someone still owes money on a car through a finance agreement, the finance company technically owns it until the debt is paid. If you buy it and the previous owner stops paying, the finance company can repossess it from YOU. Even though you paid for it. Even though you had no idea. Paid history checks will flag this immediately.
Write Off Status
Cars get categorised when they’re in accidents. Category A and B are scrap only. Category S (formerly Cat C) means structural damage. Category N (formerly Cat D) means non structural damage. Now, some Cat S and N cars are repaired perfectly and are fine to drive. Others are bodged back together and dangerous. A history check tells you if the car has ever been written off & what category it was.
Stolen Vehicle Status
Pretty self explanatory really. You don’t want to buy a nicked motor. Paid checks cross reference against police databases.
Mileage Verification
This is where MOT history becomes brilliant. Every MOT records the mileage. If you see it go from 80,000 to 60,000 between tests, something is very wrong. Clocking (turning back the odometer) is illegal but it still happens. I’ve seen estimates suggesting 1 in 20 used cars has dodgy mileage.
Previous Owners
How many people have owned this car? If it’s had six owners in three years, that’s a red flag. Cars that get passed around like that usually have problems.
VIN Verification
The Vehicle Identification Number is like the car’s fingerprint. A proper check verifies that the VIN on the car matches the registration documents. This helps prevent what’s called “ringing” where criminals disguise stolen cars using the identity of a legitimate vehicle.
Step By Step Guide To Checking History
Right, so how do you actually DO all this? It’s not complicated but you need to be methodical.
First thing, get the registration number. You’ll also want the VIN which is usually visible through the windscreen at the base, or on a plate inside the driver’s door frame. Write them down or take photos.
Start with the free checks because why not. Go to GOV.UK and look up the MOT history. Spend time on this. Look at every test result going back years. Check the mileage progression makes sense. Look for patterns of failures. If it’s failed repeatedly on brakes or suspension, that tells you something about how it’s been maintained (or not).
Check the tax status whilst you’re on GOV.UK. Make sure it’s currently taxed & that the details match what the seller told you.
Now move to a paid service. Pick one (HPI, MyCarCheck, whatever) & pay for the full report. Don’t skimp on a basic report to save a fiver. Get the comprehensive one. Enter the registration and VIN. You’ll usually get the report within minutes.
Read EVERYTHING in that report. Don’t just skim for red flags. Look at the specification details and make sure they match the car you’re looking at. Sometimes people misrepresent the model or trim level.
Red Flags You Can’t Ignore
Some things should make you walk away immediately. No negotation, no second chances. Just walk away.
Mileage discrepancies are top of the list. If the MOT history shows the mileage going backwards or making impossible jumps, that’s either clocking or odometer replacement without proper documentation. Either way, you can’t trust anything about the car’s condition.
Outstanding finance is another deal breaker unless you’re prepared to wait for it to be cleared first. Never accept promises that it’ll be “sorted after the sale”. It needs to be clear BEFORE any money changes hands.
Frequent ownership changes are suspicious. Three or four owners over ten years is fine. Six owners in two years? Something’s wrong with that car and people keep getting rid of it.
Write off history isn’t automatically a no, but it depends. A Cat N for hail damage is very different from a Cat S for major structural repairs. If you’re not mechanically minded, probably best to avoid write offs altogether. There are plenty of other cars out there.
Missing MOT history or gaps are concerning. If a car is three years old it should have an MOT. If there’s no record, why not? Has it been off the road? Been registered abroad? Something doesn’t add up.
Using MOT History To Spot Problems
The MOT history deserves its own section because it’s such a rich source of information. And it’s free, which makes it even better.
Look at failure patterns. If a car repeatedly fails on the same items, the owner either ignores problems or fixes them cheaply & badly. Cars that consistently pass first time with minimal advisories have usually been well maintained. Cars that fail multiple times every year are trouble.
Advisories are really useful too. These are things that aren’t bad enough to fail the MOT but need attention soon. If advisories about worn brakes or perished tyres never get fixed and just appear year after year, the owner doesn’t care about maintainence. That attitude will have affected other areas of the car too.
Mileage progression should be smooth and consistent. Most people drive between 8,000 and 12,000 miles per year. If you see 10,000 miles between each MOT for several years, then suddenly just 2,000 miles in the last year, ask why. Maybe the owner stopped using it because of a fault. Maybe the mileage has been tampered with.
Sometimes you can acutally see when a car changed hands based on MOT dates & locations. If it went from annual tests at a garage in Manchester to suddenly being tested in Cornwall, it probably changed owners around that time.
What DVLA Checks Actually Tell You
The DVLA doesn’t provide full history reports but what they do offer is valuable for verifying basic details. It’s all about confirming that what you’re being told matches official records.
You can check if a vehicle is taxed, when the tax runs out, and the date of the last V5C (logbook) issue. If the V5C was issued very recently, the seller might be a trader rather than a private owner. Not necessarily a problem but worth knowing.
The make, model, colour & fuel type are all on the DVLA database. If the seller says it’s a 2.0 diesel but the DVLA says it’s a 1.6 petrol, someone’s lying. Could be an honest mistake but probably isn’t.
CO2 emissions data is there too which affects your tax band. Make sure the tax rate you’ll be paying matches what you’re expecting.
The DVLA checks won’t tell you about accidents or finance but they’re a good sanity check. They confirm the basics are accurate before you go deeper with paid reports.
The Bottom Line
Checking a car’s history isn’t optional anymore. It’s just too easy and the risks of not doing it are too high. Between the free GOV.UK services & paid providers, you can build a comprehensive picture of any car’s past for less than £30 and about twenty minutes of your time.
I’ve seen people skip these checks because they “trust” the seller or because the car “looks fine”. Then they get stung with hidden problems or worse. You wouldn’t buy a house without a survey. Why would you buy a car without checking its history?
Use everything available to you. Start with the free MOT check and really study those results. Then get a proper paid report that covers finance, write offs, stolen status & everything else. If anything doesn’t add up or the seller can’t explain inconsistencies, walk away. There’ll always be another car.
Buying a car is exciting but don’t let enthusiasm override common sense. Do the checks, take your time, and you’ll avoid the horror stories that plague people who rush in blind.
