What Is a CarVeto Check?
A CarVeto check is a UK vehicle history check designed to help private motorists and professional buyers investigate a used vehicle before purchase.
CarVeto collects, matches and presents available vehicle identity, registration, MOT, tax, insurance, theft, finance, mileage and other vehicle-history records in one report.
This gives buyers a clearer view of a vehicle’s recorded history and highlights information that should be investigated before payment.
A CarVeto report supports an informed buying decision, but it is not a mechanical inspection, proof of legal ownership or a guarantee that every past event has been recorded.
It should be used alongside the V5C registration certificate, a physical inspection, seller checks and supporting documentation.
CarVeto Free, Gold, Platinum and Complete Checks
CarVeto offers four report levels. The exact information supplied depends on the report selected, the vehicle and the records available when the check is completed.
CarVeto Report | What It Covers |
|---|---|
Free car check | Core vehicle details, MOT status and history, vehicle-tax information and selected DVLA-recorded data where available. It does not include the principal paid risk checks or a finance data guarantee. |
Gold vehicle history check | Available theft, insurance write-off, salvage, mileage, scrapped-status, keeper, registration-plate and vehicle-identity information. Outstanding finance is excluded unless the separate finance upgrade is purchased. |
Gold outstanding-finance upgrade | Adds available outstanding-finance information to an eligible Gold report. It does not include the £10,000 finance data guarantee. |
Platinum vehicle history check | Includes the available Gold data categories plus outstanding-finance information and the broader Platinum data described at checkout. Eligible private-customer purchases may include the £10,000 finance data guarantee. |
CarVeto Complete vehicle history check | Includes the available Platinum data categories plus additional information that may include taxi or private-hire history, vehicle valuations, historic advertisements, recalls, technical specifications, service and maintenance information, standard equipment, electric-vehicle data and vehicle imagery. |
A data category included with a report may return no record, a partial record or a not-applicable result for an individual vehicle.
Product descriptions and availability are confirmed before purchase.
How CarVeto Compiles Vehicle Data
CarVeto is a vehicle-data aggregator.
We organise records made available by public bodies, commercial data providers and specialist automotive sources into a customer-facing vehicle history report.
Depending on the product and vehicle, report information may include or derive from:
- the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for vehicle identity, registration and tax-related records;
- the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for MOT history and available recall information;
- Experian for outstanding-finance information in eligible reports;
- available police and insurance-industry records for stolen, theft-recovery and insurance total-loss markers;
- salvage auction and vehicle-disposal records;
- MOT readings and additional industry mileage records where available; and
- specialist sources for valuations, technical specifications, historic advertisements, service information and electric-vehicle data.
Some records reach CarVeto through authorised suppliers or technical intermediaries.
Naming a source does not mean that every report contains information from it or that CarVeto is endorsed by that organisation.
Critical Vehicle History Checks
Outstanding Finance
Outstanding finance can mean that a lender or finance company retains a financial or contractual interest in the vehicle.
Where finance is identified, do not buy the vehicle until the finance provider has confirmed in writing that the agreement has been settled and the vehicle is clear.
Finance is not included in a standard Gold report.
It can be added through the separate Gold finance upgrade, which does not include the £10,000 guarantee.
Eligible Platinum and CarVeto Complete reports include available outstanding-finance information.
Data provided by Experian. This attribution applies to the outstanding-finance information and not to DVLA, DVSA or other report data.
Eligible Platinum and Complete reports purchased by qualifying private customers may include a finance data guarantee of up to £10,000.
The report must be obtained before the vehicle is purchased, and all eligibility, evidence, exclusions and claims are governed by the CarVeto Terms and Conditions.
Learn more about Buying a Car With Outstanding Finance.
Theft, Write-Off and Salvage History
Where included, CarVeto checks available police and insurance-derived markers for stolen vehicles, theft recovery and insurance total loss.
Write-off information may include current Categories A, B, S or N and older Categories C or D.
Categories A and B cannot return to the road.
Categories S and N describe repairable structural and non-structural damage respectively, but repair quality and present roadworthiness must still be independently assessed.
Salvage history is a separate data category showing available auction or disposal records.
Where available, this may include dates, descriptions, photographs or third-party links.
A vehicle can have a write-off record, a salvage record, both or neither.
A no-record result does not prove that the vehicle has never been stolen, written off, damaged or offered through a salvage channel.
Reporting delays, uninsured damage and unavailable records can affect the result.
Explore the Stolen Vehicle Register, What is a Car Write-Off and Write-Off Category Guide.
Mileage History
A mileage check compares dated observations from MOT tests and additional industry mileage records where available.
An alert does not by itself prove that a vehicle has been clocked, and a clear result does not authenticate the displayed mileage.
Compare the report with the odometer, MOT history, service records, invoices and the vehicle’s age and condition.
The CarVeto Glossary explains mileage-source labels and other report terminology in greater detail.
MOT, Tax and Vehicle Identity
CarVeto uses available official MOT information from the DVSA.
This can include MOT status and expiry, test dates, pass and fail results, recorded mileage, defects, failure reasons and advisory notices.
An MOT records the vehicle against the test requirements at the time of that test.
A valid MOT does not guarantee that the vehicle is currently roadworthy or mechanically sound.
You can use the CarVeto MOT Search to review the available record.
Vehicle-tax information may include the recorded tax or SORN status, expiry information and estimated tax costs where available.
Tax records can take time to update, and vehicle tax does not transfer to a new keeper.
Depending on the report, vehicle identity and registration information may include:
- make, model, body style, colour and fuel type;
- manufacture and first-registration information;
- a full, partial or masked vehicle identification number (VIN);
- engine number where available;
- V5C issue date;
- previous registered-keeper count;
- registration-plate and colour changes;
- imported, exported or scrapped markers; and
- historical VIC or registration-region information.
The V5C identifies the registered keeper, who is not necessarily the legal owner.
Its issue date can help you compare the document presented by the seller with the latest available record, but it does not authenticate the V5C by itself.
Before purchase, compare every VIN or chassis marking and the engine number where available with the V5C, report and physical vehicle. Investigate any conflict before proceeding.
Additional Information in CarVeto Complete
CarVeto Complete is designed to provide a broader view of the vehicle beyond the principal history and risk checks.
Depending on the vehicle and data availability, additional information may include:
- taxi or private-hire history, using available licensing records;
- vehicle valuations, based on recorded details, mileage and market information;
- historic advertisements, which may include previous dates, mileages, asking prices or images;
- safety recalls, using available DVSA, manufacturer and industry information;
- technical specifications, including performance, emissions, dimensions or transmission data;
- service schedules and maintenance estimates;
- standard equipment associated with the matched model or derivative;
- electric-vehicle range, efficiency, battery and running-cost information; and
- vehicle images where available.
These datasets have different limitations.
Taxi records are held across multiple licensing authorities, valuations are estimates, historic listings are not exhaustive, and technical or equipment data may be model-matched.
Service schedules do not prove that maintenance was completed, while electric-vehicle figures are not a physical battery-health assessment unless expressly stated.
Confirm unresolved recalls with the manufacturer or an authorised dealer and verify any specification that is material to your purchase.
More detailed definitions are available in the CarVeto Vehicle History Glossary.
Vehicle Images in a CarVeto Report
Images should be interpreted according to how they are labelled in the report.
An image expressly linked to a salvage record or historic advertisement may relate to the checked vehicle and the identified event.
Other images may be model-matched, library or stock imagery used to illustrate the vehicle type.
Illustrative images may not show the actual vehicle or its exact derivative, body style, model year, colour, trim, equipment or condition.
They are not evidence of vehicle identity or history.
Learn more about model and derivative information through the CarVeto Car Specification Check.
How to Use a CarVeto Check Before Buying
A vehicle history check is most useful when it is completed before paying a deposit or purchasing the vehicle.
Before buying, you should:
- Run the appropriate report using the correct registration mark and any requested VIN or mileage.
- Inspect the original V5C and compare its details with the report and vehicle.
- Verify the seller’s identity, address and authority to sell.
- Investigate every finance, theft, write-off, salvage, mileage or identity warning.
- Arrange an independent physical and mechanical inspection.
- Obtain written finance clearance where finance is recorded or suspected.
- Confirm unresolved safety recalls with the manufacturer or an authorised dealer.
- Retain the advertisement, report, correspondence, payment evidence and signed purchase receipt.
A clean report should not be used as the sole basis for purchase.
Recent finance, unreported damage, overseas history, false identifiers or another event may not yet appear in the available source records.
You can also review the official GOV.UK checks to make before buying a used vehicle.
Report Availability and Further Information
A CarVeto report is a dated snapshot. Vehicle records can be added, corrected or removed after the report is generated, so a later check may show different information.
A “no record” result means that no relevant record was returned from the available sources at the time of the check.
It does not prove that the event never occurred.
For detailed definitions, see the CarVeto Glossary.
For contractual conditions, guarantee eligibility and complete data limitations, read the CarVeto Terms and Conditions.
Run a CarVeto Vehicle History Check
Start with a Free CarVeto Car Check to view available core vehicle, MOT and tax information. You can then choose Gold, Platinum or CarVeto Complete when you need additional checks before buying a used vehicle.