Free Car Check
Instant UK Vehicle History Report
Check any UK number plate for MOT status, tax expiry, mileage verification, and more.
Free, verified car condition check from the DVLA and trusted sources. No signup or payment required.
🔍 Enter your registration number
What is a Free Car Check?
A free vehicle check is an instant, no-cost way to run an official vehicle record lookup. It reveals a UK car’s identity, roadworthiness, and emissions profile using trusted data from the DVLA, police (e.g. PNC), and insurer databases.
Reg verification includes:
✅ Vehicle identity
Brand, model, body style, colour, fuel type, transmission, year of manufacture, and first registration date
✅ Engine specification
Engine size (cc) and DVLA fuel classification
✅ Registration timeline
Confirmation of V5C logbook issue date
✅ Road legality
Current MOT status, expiry date, and most recent test result
✅ Tax validity
Tax band, payment status, and renewal due date
✅ Declared status
Whether the vehicle is SORN or marked as exported
✅ Emissions class
Euro standard, CO₂ rating, and tax band category
✅ ULEZ & congestion compliance
Confirms if the car is eligible for UK low-emission zones
✅ Insurance risk group
Classification band used by UK insurers
✅ Safety recall alerts
Any unresolved recalls listed by the DVSA or manufacturer
✅ Performance snapshot
BHP, top speed, and 0–60 mph acceleration (where available)
✅ Fuel economy rating
Official DVLA MPG (combined only; full urban/extra-urban in paid check)
✅ Basic mileage verification
Cross-checks MOT mileage records for obvious anomalies
Why It Matters
CarVeto’s free check helps you verify the identity, condition and legal status of any vehicle before arranging a viewing, accepting a sale, or continuing to browse online.
No sign-up. No payment. Just instant access to official UK vehicle records in one place.
How to Check a Car’s History Online (UK)
Here's how our car history check works:
Step 1
Enter the registration number: Submit the vehicle registration number of any UK-registered car into our tool.
Step 2
We fetch official data: We instantly pull verified records from DVLA, MOT, and tax databases, including the V5C issue date, engine performance data, and CO₂ emissions rating.
Step 3
View your report summary: See your vehicle’s ownership status, MOT and tax validity, and engine and emissions profile. Need deeper insights? Upgrade to unlock checks on finance agreements, write-off history, and theft risk alerts.
What’s Included in a Car History Check?
A full vehicle history check shows you exactly what matters when buying a used car — from legal status to technical accuracy.
You’ll find out if the car has been stolen, written off, or financed, and whether its mileage, tax, and registration history checks out.
We pull this data from DVLA, police databases, lenders, and verified trade systems to help you avoid hidden problems.
Here’s a full breakdown of what’s checked and why it matters.
1. Legal & Risk Checks
✅ Detect Stolen Status
Matches the vehicle to national theft databases (e.g., PNC, MIAFTR) to confirm if it’s listed as stolen.
✅ Reveal Outstanding Finance
Identifies unresolved credit or hire purchase agreements that must be cleared before legal resale.
✅ Flag Insurance Write-Offs
Confirms if the vehicle was declared a total loss (Cat A to S), including damage codes and insurer classification.
✅ Retrieve Salvage Auction Data
Displays photos, damage type, and auction listings from platforms where the vehicle may have been written off and resold.
✅ Confirm DVLA Scrapped Status
Verifies if the car is legally marked as scrapped and removed from UK road use.
2. Legal & Compliance
✅ Summerise MOT History
Lists all test results, including pass/fail status, advisories, and mileage at time of inspection.
✅ Check Road Tax Validity
Confirms tax band, expiry, renewal date, and CO₂ rating that affects annual cost.
✅ Verify SORN declaration
Detects if the vehicle is officially declared off-road, exempting it from MOT and tax obligations.
✅ Detect unresolved recalls
Flags active manufacturer or DVSA recall alerts still requiring action.
3. Identity & Registration Validation
✅ Validate number plate registration
Matches plate to DVLA records to confirm authenticity and prevent plate cloning.
✅ Confirm VIN, engine, and chassis IDs
Cross-references manufacturer and DVLA identifiers to detect mismatches or tampering.
✅ Retrieve previous keeper records
Shows how many owners the car has had and for how long each kept it.
✅ Track plate change history
Lists every plate reassignment, including the date and original registration.
✅ Confirm import/export history
Verifies if the car was previously registered abroad or exported from the UK.
4. Usage & Technical Specification
✅ Verify mileage integrity
Checks mileage consistency across MOT tests, BVRLA, and trade service logs to detect odometer fraud.
✅ Retrieve vehicle specification
Lists brand, trim, engine size (cc), fuel type, body type, weight, torque, dimensions, and Euro emissions standard.
✅ Display performance data
Includes official BHP, top speed, 0–60 mph acceleration, and engine power metrics.
✅ Show fuel economy figures
Breaks down MPG across urban, extra-urban, and combined driving modes.
✅ Confirm ULEZ and congestion compliance
Determines if the vehicle meets London ULEZ and Congestion Charge standards (Euro 4–6 classification).
👉 Start a Free Car Check to see verified MOT, tax, and mileage records — then upgrade to unlock full vehicle history, including finance, theft, and write-off data.
Compare Free and Full Car History Checks
Not all vehicle checks are created equal. Here's how our free report compares to the full car option list:
Feature | Free Car Check ✅ | Full Car Check 🔒 |
|---|---|---|
MOT Status & Expiry | ✅ | ✅ |
Road Tax Status | ✅ | ✅ |
Vehicle Age & CO₂ Data | ✅ | ✅ |
VIN & Engine Match | ❌ | ✅ |
Number Plate History | ❌ | ✅ |
Mileage History | ❌ | ✅ |
Insurance Write-Offs | ❌ | ✅ |
Outstanding Finance | ❌ | ✅ |
Stolen Vehicle Alerts | ❌ | ✅ |
Ownership Changes | ❌ | ✅ |
Wondering how our car checks compare to trusted industry benchmarks like HPI Ltd?
Our HPI Check breaks down the essential differences, including data coverage, update frequency, and depth of finance verification.
Would you like to download the complete inspection report with all checks? Run a Full Car History Check now.
Free
What's Included
- Basic information
- Outstanding finance
- Stolen
- Write-off
- £30,000 data guarantee
Check your vehicle now for FREE
Platinum
What's Included
- £30,000 finance data guarantee
- Outstanding finance
- Stolen
- Write-off
- Salvage
- Import/export
- Scrapped/unscrapped
- Plate history changes
- VIN verification & engine number
- Colour changes
- Mileage problems
- BVRLA & RMI search
- Registered near
Check your vehicle now for £12.95
Gold
What's Included
- Stolen
- Write-off
- Mileage problems
- Export
- Registered near
- Outstanding finance
- £30,000 data guarantee
Check your vehicle now for £9.95
Why Choose Our UK Car Checker?
Because CarVeto is one of the UK's most trusted vehicle data check services, having completed over 5.4 million checks.
Whether you’re checking a car before purchase or validating a seller’s claims, we deliver the facts — fast.
✔️ Trusted DVLA & insurer sources
✔️ Used by over 5.4 million UK motorists
✔️ Instant results in seconds
✔️ Download information as PDF
✔️ No signup or payment needed for free checks
✔️ Supports full and partial plate searches
Choose the smarter way to verify a vehicle before you buy. Start a Registration Plate Check now.
Number Plate and Registration Checker Tool
Instantly verify a vehicle’s registration number against official DVLA records to ensure it’s legitimate and unaltered.
Enter any UK number plate to access MOT status, tax details, CO₂ label, and vehicle age, instantly.
Our checker connects directly with national databases for reliable, up-to-date notifications.
✅ Supports UK and Northern Ireland registrations
✅ Fast, free, and secure — no sign-up needed
FAQs – Car History, Registration & Check Info
A reg checker lets you look up a car’s MOT, tax, and registration info using its number plate. It’s the fastest way to confirm a vehicle’s identity.
Try our registration checker →
Yes, our basic vehicle check is 100% free. Just enter a UK number plate to get MOT status, tax details, and retrieve DVLA records instantly.
No login, no card, no hassle. Learn more →
Yes, your free vehicle report will include whether the car is currently taxed, the expiry date, and whether it has been declared SORN.
Yes, our reg verification tool checks for number plate replacement against DVLA records and online advertisements to confirm that it matches the best official registration data, helping prevent fraud or cloned vehicles.
Yes, but stolen vehicle checks are part of the full car history report. We cross-reference police and insurer records to flag stolen vehicles.
Run a Stolen Vehicle Check →
Only the full check includes finance records. This reveals if the car is still under finance, a major risk for buyers.
Conduct an Outstanding Car Finance Check now →
In addition to garage MOT and tax, the full check covers:
- Outstanding finance
- Insurance write-offs
- Stolen status
- VIN mismatch
- Ownership changes
A vehicle enquiry means checking a car’s legal and technical status using its number plate.
This includes MOT, tax, spec, service dates, service mileages and ownership data.
Yes, our car history check verifies Northern Ireland number plates, just like GB plates.
You’ll get MOT, tax, and registration info instantly.
Trusted by 5.4 Million UK Drivers
⭐ Rated 4.9/5
✔️ Secure, DVLA-approved vehicle data
✔️ Fast, private, and used nationwide
Ready to Check a Vehicle?
Enter your registration and check a free report in seconds.
No sign-up. No payment. Just verified UK vehicle data, instantly.
