Private company. Not the government. Every report shows its sources.
Vehicles History Check
Check a car

Before you hand over the money

Is the car on finance, stolen or written off?

Type the registration of any UK car or van. The count of problems is free. The report is £9.99 or £19.99.

The first step is free. You see how many problems we found, not what they are, and then decide.

This is not a government website. Vehicles History Check is a private company service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by DVSA, DVLA or any government body. We charge £9.99 for our own service, which finds, checks and explains the records listed here and delivers them as a report. You can get the underlying records yourself: MOT history from DVSA at https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/, free, and Tax status from DVLA at https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax, free.

What the report contains

Basic, £9.99

  • Outstanding finance, yes or no
  • Reported stolen, yes or no
  • Insurance write off record, yes or no
  • Full MOT history with every advisory
  • Tax status
  • Report on screen and as a PDF by email

Full, £19.99

  • Everything in Basic
  • Finance agreements with the lender named
  • Write off category and date
  • Mileage timeline with any step backwards flagged
  • Keeper count and last change of keeper
  • Plate and colour changes
  • Import, export and scrapped markers
  • Report on screen and as a PDF by email

Every section of the report shows its source and the time it was read. Where a record could not be read, the report says so and says why. It never prints a blank.

How it works

1Type the registration from the number plate or the V5C.
2We search the records and tell you how many problems came up. That part is free.
3Pay by card on Stripe's own page. Your card details never touch our site.
4The report opens on screen and lands in your inbox as a PDF, with every source and date on it.

What the law says about finance

If you buy a car from a private seller and it turns out to still be on finance, the law is on your side more than most sites tell you.

Part III of the Hire Purchase Act 1964 says a private buyer who pays in good faith, and who did not know about the finance, generally keeps the car. The finance company cannot take it back from you.

That protection is only for a private buyer. It does not cover a dealer or a trader, and it does not cover a buyer who knew.

So the real value of this check is not that it stops a repossession. It is that it is written proof, with a date on it, that you checked before you paid. That is the exact thing the law asks you to show.

A stolen car is different. The police can take it and the money is gone. That is why the theft marker is in every report, next to the finance line.

Hire Purchase Act 1964, Part III. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1964/53/part/III, read 23 September 2026.

Where the data comes from

MOT history from the DVSA MOT History API. Tax status from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. Finance, theft and write off records from Experian AutoCheck through One Auto API. Every report names each source with the time it was read. The full list, with what each one costs you directly.