Free tool · no signup · official DVSA data
Free VIN Check UK: MOT History and Mileage by VIN
Enter the 17-character VIN to see every MOT test the car has taken in the UK — pass, fail, advisories and the mileage recorded each time — and the registration it carries today. Read live from the official DVSA record. No registration needed.
Free · no signup · official DVSA MOT data
Example result
VAUXHALL ADAM
MOT status
MOT due in 18 days
This car's MOT is valid but runs out on 5 November 2026. Book the next test before it expires.
VIN
•••••••••••••••••
Make
VAUXHALL
Model
ADAM
Colour
White
Fuel
Petrol
First used
18 October 2016
Engine
999 cc
MOT tests on record
8
Check these match the car in front of you and its V5C logbook (the VIN is in section E). A VIN that comes back as a different make, model or colour is a reason to stop — it can mean a typing slip, or a car wearing another car's identity.
Mileage at each MOT
The odometer reading logged by the test station at every MOT, from the official DVSA record.
First reading: 17,991 miles (October 2019)
Latest: 50,097 miles (November 2025)
Average: about 5,300 miles a year between those two tests
Show the readings
| Test date | Result | Mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 2019 | Pass | 17,991 mi |
| 2 Oct 2020 | Pass | 21,796 mi |
| 7 Oct 2021 | Fail | 25,792 mi |
| 7 Oct 2021 | Pass | 25,792 mi |
| 14 Oct 2022 | Pass | 31,911 mi |
| 16 Oct 2023 | Pass | 36,669 mi |
| 25 Oct 2024 | Pass | 43,243 mi |
| 6 Nov 2025 | Pass | 50,097 mi |
Can I check a car's history by VIN in the UK?
What the free VIN check shows you
Everything in this table comes from two official sources: the DVSA MOT testing database, which holds the test record against the VIN, and the DVLA vehicle register for the current MOT status. Nothing here is estimated.
| Data point | What you'll see |
|---|---|
| Current UK registration | The plate the car carries now, as DVSA holds it — even after a private plate transfer. |
| Vehicle identity | Make, model, colour, fuel type, engine size and the date it was first used. |
| Every MOT test | Date and pass or fail for each test on the computerised record, which starts in 2005. |
| Failures and advisories | Each item in the tester's own words, grouped by test. |
| Mileage at each test | The odometer reading logged at every MOT, charted in date order. |
| Mileage drop warning | Flagged automatically if a reading goes down between tests — the classic sign of clocking. |
| Still open at the latest MOT | Advisories that were there when the car last left the test centre, and any flagged two years running. |
| MOT status and expiry | Whether the MOT is valid now and when it runs out, where the DVLA still holds the registration. |
| Outstanding recall flag | Shown when DVSA records an outstanding manufacturer safety recall. |
What it does not show is dealer servicing, the options the car was built with, or finance, theft and write-off markers. All three are paid checks offered under the result.
Why check by VIN, not the registration
A registration is a label that can move. Private plates are transferred between cars all the time, and when a plate moves the MOT record for the car goes with the car, not the plate. Search the old registration and you can get nothing back, or a different car. The VIN is stamped into the body at the factory and never changes, so it always finds the right record.
It is also one of the simplest checks against a cloned car. A clone wears a genuine car's registration, but it can't easily wear that car's VIN. Read the VIN off the windscreen and the door frame, check it matches section E of the V5C, then run it here: the make, model, colour and registration that come back should describe the car in front of you.
And it works when the plate is gone. A car that has been exported — to Ireland, say — no longer has a live UK registration, but its UK MOT history stays on the DVSA record under its VIN.
Where to find the VIN on a UK car
- The V5C logbook — section E, “Vehicle Identification Number”.
- The windscreen: look through the glass at the bottom corner on the driver's side.
- The door frame — a sticker or plate on the pillar, usually on the driver's side.
- Stamped into the body — often in the engine bay or under a flap in the carpet beside a front seat. The position varies by maker.
- Paperwork — insurance documents, finance agreements, the service book and most dealer invoices carry it too.
How to read a VIN
Every car built since 1981 has a 17-character VIN made of letters and numbers. It never uses I, O or Q, which were left out because they look like 1 and 0. The characters are grouped:
- Characters 1–3: the manufacturer. The World Manufacturer Identifier — for example WVW for a Volkswagen car, WBA for a BMW, SAL for a Land Rover, VF3 for a Peugeot and TMB for a Škoda.
- Characters 4–9: the vehicle. Model, body and engine in the maker's own code. Some European makers fill part of it with Z or X.
- Characters 10–17: this car. On cars built for North America the 10th character is always the model year. Elsewhere makers aren't required to use it that way and some don't, so treat a year read from it as a guess on a UK car. The last characters are the factory serial number.
That is why free VIN decoders give approximate answers on UK cars. This check doesn't decode anything: it reads what DVSA holds against the full VIN, and the identity it shows is the one on the official record.
What the MOT record can't tell you
The MOT is a roadworthiness test on one day a year. It never records oil changes, cambelt replacement or scheduled dealer servicing, so a car can have a spotless MOT history and no service history at all. Manufacturer dealer systems store each logged service against the VIN, which makes the VIN the most direct way to retrieve them.
Service history by VIN — £9.99
Official dealer service records from the manufacturer's own systems: dates, mileages, the work done and which dealer did it. Your card is authorised but not charged if no records are found.
Check service history by VINThe VIN also unlocks the manufacturer's build sheet — the paint, trim and factory options this exact car was built with. Most recent cars have the factory paint code on the sheet; for older ones the maker often recorded only the colour name. See the car spec and build sheet check (£3.99), or buy it under your result above.
Where this data comes from
The test history, defect wording and odometer readings come from the DVSA MOT History API, looked up by VIN at the moment you press the button. The current MOT status and expiry come from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service, read under the registration DVSA returns. Both are free government data; we display it, and nothing is modelled or cached from a third party.
FindServiceHistory is an independent service and is not affiliated with the DVLA or the DVSA. If you have the registration, GOV.UK's own MOT history service and vehicle enquiry service are free too.
VIN check — frequently asked questions
Is this VIN check free?▾
Yes. It reads the official DVSA MOT database, which we can query free of charge, so there is no signup, no email and no card. You get the car's current UK registration, its make, model, colour and fuel, every MOT test with its result and advisories, and the mileage recorded at each test. The paid checks further down the page are separate, and you never have to buy one to use this.
Can I check MOT history by VIN instead of the registration?▾
Yes. GOV.UK's own MOT history service asks for the registration, but DVSA holds every test against the VIN as well. Enter the 17-character VIN here and you get the same test record, plus the registration the car carries now. That is useful when the plate has changed, when you only have the VIN from an advert or a logbook, or when the car has left the UK.
Why does my VIN show no UK record?▾
Usually because the car has never been registered in the UK: an import that is not registered here yet, or a car that has only been on the road abroad. A car registered in the last few weeks may not be on the record yet either. Otherwise check for a typo against section E of the V5C. VINs never contain the letters I, O or Q, so we read those as 1 and 0 automatically.
Where do I find the VIN on a UK car?▾
In section E of the V5C logbook, on a plate at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side (readable from outside), and on a sticker or plate in the door frame, usually the driver's side. Many cars also have it stamped into the body in the engine bay or under the carpet beside the front seat. The VIN on the car should match the V5C exactly.
Does the VIN change when a car gets a private plate?▾
No. The VIN is fixed for the life of the car; only the registration moves. That is why a VIN check finds the full MOT record even after a private plate transfer, when a search for the old registration can come back empty.
Can a free VIN decoder tell me the spec?▾
Only roughly. The first three characters identify the manufacturer, and the next six describe the model in the maker's own code, so a decoder can guess the make, body and sometimes the engine. Some European makers fill those characters with Z or X, and makers outside North America are not required to encode the model year, so a decoder's year can be wrong on a UK car. The options a particular car was built with are on the manufacturer's build sheet, not in the VIN.
Does a VIN check show outstanding finance or write-offs?▾
Not the free part. Finance, police stolen reports and insurance write-off categories are not in the MOT record. Our car check reads those from the UK registers using the car's registration, for £12.99 on its own. It is offered under the free result whenever the car has a current UK registration.
Can I get the service history by VIN?▾
Yes, as a paid check. Manufacturer dealer systems store every logged service against the VIN, so the VIN is the most direct key there is. The report shows each dealer service with its date, mileage and work done, for £9.99. Your card is authorised at checkout and only charged if records are found.
Is this the same as the DVLA vehicle check?▾
No. We are an independent service and are not part of the DVLA or the DVSA. GOV.UK's free vehicle enquiry and MOT history services take the registration; this tool takes the VIN and shows the DVSA MOT record held against it, with the current MOT status from the DVLA where the registration is still live.
Other free checks and guides
MOT History Check by Registration
The same free DVSA record, looked up by number plate
Service History by VIN
Manufacturer dealer records for the VIN — £9.99, no charge if none found
Mileage & Clocking Check
Every MOT mileage reading charted, with a clocking verdict up front
Car Spec & Build Sheet Check
Registered spec free by reg, plus the factory options it was built with
Car Recall Check
Manufacturer safety recalls issued for the model
When Is My MOT Due?
The renewal window, first-MOT rules and what happens if you miss it