Data provided by Experian · GB registrations

Car check: is it on finance, stolen or written off?

Enter a registration to check a car for outstanding finance, theft and insurance write-offs before you buy. £12.99 on its own, or £17.99 with the manufacturer service history.

Run a car check

Finance, stolen and write-off records, in minutes

You see the car's make and model before you pay.

What the car check tells you

Data provided by Experian. Every car check result comes from Experian, supplied to us through OneAutoAPI.

  • Outstanding finance. If a lender has a hire-purchase or finance agreement on the car, it still belongs to them until it is settled. We show the lender, the type of agreement, when it started and the lender's number, so you can ask for a settlement letter before you pay.
  • Stolen. Whether the car is recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer, with the police force to contact.
  • Insurance write-off. Any record on the insurers' register, with its category, date of loss, cause and where the damage was. Category N and S cars can be repaired and sold; A and B cannot.
  • Salvage auctions. Whether the car has been listed at a salvage auction, with the date, the lot description, the damage and the mileage. Where the auction house published photos, we link to them on its own website rather than showing them.
  • Its history at DVLA. Scrapped, exported or imported markers, plate changes, colour changes, the number of previous keepers and V5C logbook dates.
  • Trade searches. How often motor-trade businesses have checked the car recently.
  • Experian's Data Guarantee. If the finance, stolen or write-off data turns out to be wrong, Experian can pay up to £10,000, or the car's market value if lower, for 12 months from the check. Experian's Data Guarantee terms apply, the check must be run before you buy, and claims are made to Experian directly.

Why buyers add our car check

  • Data provided by Experian, drawn from the finance register, the Police National Computer and the insurers' write-off register.
  • It sits in one report with the manufacturer service history and the MOT history, which you can share with the seller or your insurer as a link or a PDF.
  • Every finding comes with what it means and what to do next.
  • Bought with a service history check, you pay £8.00 for the car check, and nothing for the service history if no manufacturer records are found.
  • When your car check is 30 days old, a fresh one is one tap from the report.

300+ UK motor dealers use our manufacturer service history checks to appraise the cars they buy.

Prices

What you getPrice
Car check, with the free MOT history£12.99
Car check + manufacturer service history and MOT historySave £4.99£17.99
Car check added to a report you already have£8.00

Your card is authorised when you pay and charged only for what is delivered. If Experian holds no record for the registration, the car check is not charged.

What it doesn't include

  • No valuation.
  • No separate mileage database. The MOT history shows the odometer reading at every test, and the service history adds the mileage at each recorded service.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the car check include?

Whether finance is recorded against the car (with the lender, finance type, start date and term), whether it is recorded as stolen on the Police National Computer, any insurance write-off with its category (A, B, S or N), date and damage, any listing at a salvage auction (with the lot, damage and mileage), whether DVLA records it as scrapped, exported or imported, plate changes, colour changes, the number of previous keepers and when the last one changed, V5C issue dates, vehicle identity checks and how often the motor trade has searched it. The car check on its own also includes the free MOT history.

Where does the data come from?

Data provided by Experian, supplied to us through OneAutoAPI. It draws on the UK finance register, the Police National Computer, the MIAFTR insurers' write-off register and DVLA records. The salvage auction listings in it come from CarGuide's salvage records.

How much does a car check cost?

£12.99 on its own. Added to a manufacturer service history check it is £8.00, so the two together are £17.99 — £4.99 less than buying them separately.

What if no service records are found?

The service history is free if no manufacturer records are found, as it always is. You only pay for the car check (£8.00), because that was delivered.

Is this the same as other car history checks?

Other companies sell similar checks. Ours shows data provided by Experian and comes with Experian's Data Guarantee. What ours adds is the manufacturer service history and MOT history in the same report, if you choose them.

Does it come with a guarantee?

Yes. Every car check comes with Experian's Data Guarantee. If the finance, stolen or write-off data in it turns out to be wrong, Experian can pay up to £10,000, or the car's market value if lower, for 12 months from the date of the check. The check must be run before you buy, Experian's conditions apply (for example, the VIN and the seller's details must match the V5C logbook, and no more than £5,000 may be paid in cash), and claims are made to Experian directly.

How up to date is it?

It shows the data Experian holds at the moment you run the check. Finance and theft records change daily, so check again on the day you buy. A fresh check is one tap from your report once the first one is 30 days old.

Can I check a car registered outside the UK?

No. The check reads UK registers, so it works for cars with a current GB registration only.

Related

Before you buy

Check it before you pay

Finance and theft records change daily. Run the car check on the day you buy.

Run a car check · £12.99