CarVeto MOT history check
How to use DVLA history when buying a used car
Our MOT history report will provide you with the following:
- MOT date of test
- Result (pass/fail)
- MOT mileages
- Advisories
- Failures/refusals
- Previous MOT test results with refusals/advisories
- Full history
- Road tax renewal date
Click the next link for our quick road tax check guide
Snapshot of CarVeto MOT history
Relates to buying and/or checking history
The information provided in this initial check is free and instant.
1. MOT check
Enter a car reg number to check my car MOT history
2. Useful information
Providing more than valid MOT test history.
A CarVeto provides valuable data on car ownership too, including:
- Previous keepers
- Current owner acquisition date
- Period of current ownership
- The previous owner sold date
- The previous owner acquired date
- Date of registration
- Postcode region or nearby city location
Or use this link to get an instant check MOT status
We also search mileage anomalies, theft, write-off and SORN status for any vehicle registered in the UK from new
(MOT status history is available from 2005 onwards)
Reliable MOT data with help from DVLA
CarVeto MOT history is gathered directly from DVLA for any qualifying UK registered vehicle (more than 3 years old).
Start with a free vehicle check. All you need is a car reg for an instant result.
Once you have accessed your CarVeto, scroll near the bottom of the report to find historical MOT data.
This part of a CarVeto is hugely important for a healthy, reliable car that is roadworthy and a decent investment.
Look out for two major components of the check:
- MOT failures
- MOT advisories
DVLA MOT failure declarations
The failure section tells you why the car didn’t pass its MOT. It could be something as small and inexpensive as a sidelight bulb or it could be something major like a driveshaft or leaky power steering rack.
Either way, the parts must have been replaced for the car to be deemed roadworthy and MOT fit.
MOT advisories
More attention should be paid to advisory items. Defining advisory:
advisory
ədˈvʌɪz(ə)ri/
adjective
having or consisting in the power to make recommendations but not to act enforcing them.
This means that parts of the car are ideally replaced, but they are not mandatory for the car to be roadworthy or to pass an MOT test.
CarVeto recommends looking at the existing and one previous valid MOT certificate to see if any advisory items are listed. In many cases, an advisory item becomes a failing in the next MOT test and the owner will be liable for this repair bill.
If a rear trailing arm rubber bush or TCA (traction control arm) bush was listed as an advisory in the 2018 MOT, but not replaced, it will almost certainly need to be replaced on the subsequent MOT.
If you buy the car it will be yourself that is paying for the replacement part.
TCA bushes are not expensive to buy or fit but driveshafts or shock absorbers can be. A thorough MOT history check via your CarVeto will potentially save you time and money.
When buying a used car from a dealership
Useful tips for saving money
CarVeto suggests that when buying from a car dealer that you insist on a new, 12-month MOT as part of the deal. Most salesmen will have no hesitation if you buy their car.
Now we know how severe MOT advisories can be so it is well worth insisting that the MOT include a ‘zero advisory item list’. This type of request is unusual but well worth asking for. Do you really want to buy a new car with a new DVLA MOT check only to find a handful of items that will need replacing in a years’ time?
Find more useful information and guides on used car history and MOT checks.
The team at CarVeto
Explainer video:
Using an MOT finder history check when buying a second-hand car
