Free vs Paid

Free service history check? Here's the honest answer

Some bits are free, some are paid. We're upfront about which is which — and how to use the free options before paying for the full report.

Find Your Car's Service History Online

Check your car's service history using official UK manufacturer dealership records. Enter a registration number to see every franchised dealer service on file — dates, mileages, and work performed.

Full dealership records for BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen and many more — plus partial coverage for many others. Your card is authorised but not charged unless we find records.

Official dealer recordsResults in minutesNo records = no charge

Check Service History

No charge unless we find records

What you can check for free

  • Vehicle details (make, model, year, fuel, CO₂, current tax/MOT status) — free at gov.uk
  • MOT history (every test, mileage, advisories and failures) — free at gov.uk
  • Vehicle confirmation on this site — we run a free DVLA check before you pay so you know we've matched the right car.

What requires a paid check

Manufacturer service history. The actual service entries logged by franchised dealers — service dates, mileage, work performed, and which dealer did it — live in manufacturer-licensed databases. There is no free public source for this data. We pay per-lookup access fees and pass that on at £9.99 per report (or from £2.81 per check on a monthly trade plan). If we find nothing, you pay nothing.

Beware of 'free service history' claims

If a site claims a fully free service history check, it's almost always (a) just MOT history relabelled, (b) a free trial that converts to a subscription, or (c) a lead capture form that emails you a sales call. Manufacturer service history is paid data — anyone offering it free should be approached with caution.

How It Works

Three Simple Steps

1

Enter Your Registration

Type in your vehicle registration number (VRM) — it takes seconds.

2

We Check Official Records

We query manufacturer dealership databases — the same systems used by franchised dealers.

3

Receive Your Report In Minutes

Most reports land in your inbox within minutes of payment — full digital service history, ready to download or print.

Supported Brands

Manufacturer Records

We access service history data directly from manufacturer dealership systems — covering most European vehicles from 2012 model year onwards.

Full Service History

(19)

Complete service records from manufacturer dealership systems, including service dates, mileage, work performed, and service provider details. Suitable for consumer reports and remarketing.

Workshop Remarks

(13)

Workshop remarks including recalls and warranty work. Where workshop remarks align with service schedules, this strongly indicates a service was carried out.

Limited Coverage

(13)

Data is returned in a minimal proportion of cases. Results depend on individual vehicle records and manufacturer system availability.

Full Coverage
Workshop Remarks
Limited

Why Service History Matters

Protect Your Investment

Missing service history is one of the biggest value killers when buying or selling a used vehicle. Don't leave money on the table.

Up to 23%

Value lost without service history

Up to £3,000

More value with full service history

Up to 75%

Of buyers won't buy without service history

No Charge

If no records are found

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free service history check?

Some parts are free, others are paid. DVLA vehicle confirmation (make, model, year) is free. DVSA MOT history is free via the official gov.uk service. Manufacturer service history — the records logged by franchised dealers — is paid because we license that data from the manufacturer aggregator.

Why isn't a full service history check free?

Manufacturer service records are commercial data — we pay per-lookup fees to access them. Charging £9.99 covers those fees plus our no-charge guarantee (we still pay the lookup fee even when no records are found, but you don't pay anything).

What can I get for free?

Free MOT history is available at gov.uk/check-mot-history. Free vehicle details (make, model, year, tax/MOT status) are at gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax. Manufacturer service history is not available for free anywhere we've seen — anyone offering 'free service history' usually means MOT history, which is a different (and much smaller) data set.

Will I be charged if you find nothing?

No. Card is authorised but not charged at checkout. If we find service history, we capture the £9.99. If we find nothing, we cancel the authorisation — you're never actually charged. Zero risk, no refund admin.

What's the cheapest way to check service history?

Direct from a franchised main dealer is sometimes free if you call and ask, but it can take days, requires the V5C in some cases, and not all dealers will help non-customers. £9.99 with instant results — and no charge at all if we find nothing — is usually a better trade-off.

Ready to check a service history?

Enter the UK registration above to start. Reports arrive in minutes — your card is not charged if no manufacturer records are found.

Run a Service History Check — £9.99

See exactly what you get — view a sample report