Car history check

Once you’ve found your perfect gem, if the price isn’t enough to put you off, the process of buying it may. Unfortunately, most car buyers find the process of buying a used car intimidating and stressful. After all, you’re investing thousands of pounds of your hard-earned cash and committing to a long-term relationship with a years-old used machine you’ve never seen before, and without a single clue how it was treated or looked after in the past.

It’s these unknowns which lead most buyers to play it safe and opt to buy a brand new car with manufacturer’s warranty and no previous usage history. That need not be the case, however, as you can confidently buy a great used car at a fraction of the cost of a new vehicle, saving you money in these uncertain times, all with the help of a vehicle history check.

With vehicle history comes a wealth of knowledge and power, which will make your used car purchase less risky and could give you the upper hand when negotiating the purchase price.

A vehicle history check allows you to check a car’s past to make sure it isn’t hiding any nasty surprises. Our vehicle history check filters through hundreds of breadcrumb trails left by a vehicle over the years to intelligently select the most important data points which could affect the value of the vehicle, or predict any mechanical or service-related repairs which may be required in the near future.

Buying a car, motorcycle or van without checking its history could potentially mean you’re a mere dozens of miles away from a very costly catastrophic disaster. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most serious reasons why you should check the history of your next used car purchase.

In the UK it is illegal to sell someone a car that has unpaid finance without telling them first. Although it is not illegal to advertise a car for sale which has outstanding finance, the seller of the vehicle must inform any potential buyers of the unpaid finance before a purchase is agreed. If you unknowingly purchase a vehicle with outstanding finance, you run a serious risk of losing the vehicle and the money you paid for it if the seller does not settle the finance.

When buying a used vehicle with outstanding finance, the safest option is to pay the finance company directly and then pay the seller the remainder of the agreed sale price. That way, you ensure the finance has been settled and do not have to rely on the seller paying it off after you’ve bought the vehicle.

So you know you’re talking to a genuine finance company, our car history check gives you the details of any unpaid agreements held against the vehicle, including a reference number, the name of the lender and direct contact details for the lender. 

A vehicle under finance is still owned by the lender until all of the debt has been cleared. A seller may choose to sell the car, and then not use the money from the sale to pay off the debt. It’s not their problem anymore – it’s yours as the finance is held against the vehicle.

Not all outstanding finance flagged should be alarming, however. Some vehicle’s sold by a motor trader or dealership may have ‘Unit Stocking’ finance which is a temporary short-term type of finance agreement given to a dealership or trader, allowing them to purchase vehicles into stock (vehicles readily available for them to sell).

When a vehicle is involved in a serious enough crash to make the repair uneconomical (cost of repair is deemed too high compared to the vehicles market value) crash to make the repair uneconomical, it will often be ‘written off’ by a motor insurer as either category A, B, C, D, S, or N. Categories A and B vehicle’s are beyond repair and can only be scrapped or sent to breakers for salvage respectively. Older categories C and D as well as newer categories S and N vehicle’s can be repaired and put back on the road if repaired to a roadworthy condition.

Accident damage significantly affects the value of a vehicle. As a result, written-off vehicles are generally cheaper and less desirable to buyers.

When buying a Cat C, D, S or N vehicle, there is a potential risk of future problems if the repairs were not done correctly. Make sure to check that the vehicle has not been written off with our history check. If it has, be sure to get as much documentation, images or videos detailing the repair and any work carried out from the seller, or get it inspected by a third-party specialist.

We hold several data points about vehicles we pull directly from the DVLA that you can use to your advantage when buying a used vehicle. For example, you can check the number of previous keepers a vehicle has had. A car with many owners over a relatively short period could indicate it may have an underlying issue or could be expensive to maintain.

You can also check if a vehicle has had a number plate or colour change in its history, if it’s been scrapped (can no longer be sold for use on public roads) in the past or exported (a vehicle marked as exported is no longer registered in the UK and therefore could indicate a potentially cloned vehicle). All of these can suggest something untoward which may be worth investigating further.

Number plate changes are common practice and in most cases are nothing to be concerned about. Some owners prefer to mask the age of their vehicle with a non-age-specific registration or personalise the appearance of their vehicle with a company branded or catchy vanity plate (for example – E110 NDA number plate on a Honda e).

In some instances a number plate change could be used to hide the fact a vehicle has outstanding finance. Our vehicle check not only checks outstanding finance against the number plate but also the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) which is a unique permanent identifier for every vehicle and cannot be changed.

The police and motor insurers hold records of all reported stolen vehicles. If you buy a stolen vehicle, you will not legally own it regardless of the amount of money paid for it or even if you unknowingly bought it. You will lose both the car and your money, so make sure to check this beforehand.

In the UK, a private vehicle must get an MOT (Ministry of Transport) test every year from the third anniversary of its registration. An MOT test is a roadworthiness test which checks important parts of a vehicle to make sure they meet the minimum legal standards. It does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox but can highlight mechanical faults or defects which may result in expensive repairs later on so it’s worth paying close attention to these. A car with consistent failures and faults each year could give an indication of a poor upkeep history and may be worth steering away from.

A vehicle’s mileage over the years could highlight its primary usage and ownership. In the UK drivers drive an average of 6,600 miles per year. Mileage has been on a downward trend for a decade but was accelerated by Covid over the past couple of years.

High mileage on a vehicle could indicate it’s previously been used as a pool car, taxi or used for long distance or business travel. Cars mainly driven on the motorway are usually well run in and show less wear on the interior but don’t fair as well on the exterior front end and lower sills which usually take a beating from stone chips and road debris.

On the other hand, a vehicle with extremely low mileage may seem like a good bet, however various components of the vehicle may naturally degrade (tyres, lubricants – oil, brake pads etc) with time. Also, when an engine is idle for months or years, it doesn’t get up to optimal running temperature, and moisture in the air or condensation can eventually get into the engine leading to the formation of sludge and eventually corrosion.

These have been some examples of what you can check, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list. Even if you’re not intending on buying a full vehicle history check, at least try our free car check to perform a light history check on any vehicle before parting with your cash to buy it!

Our free vehicle history check reveals mileage issues, service and maintenance-related alerts and more free of charge. And at no cost to yourself, it’s a no-brainer. This is just one step we take to help keep you safe when buying used vehicles.