A vehicle history check takes one registration plate and about thirty seconds. VRMCheck splits it into a free lookup and an optional paid history report, so you only pay once the car has passed the obvious tests — the right MOT, the right tax status, the right vehicle. This page explains exactly what happens at each step, what each result means, and which official source each field comes from.
Type any UK number plate into the check box. We normalise it (upper case, spaces removed) and query DVSA for MOT history and DVLA for vehicle identity and tax status. No account, card or email is needed for this step, and the result lands on screen in seconds.
The free result gives you the vehicle make, model, colour, fuel type and engine size, the current MOT status and expiry date, and the current tax status. Expired MOTs and SORN declarations are flagged clearly, so you can walk away from a car advertised as road-ready before spending anything.
If the car still looks right, the full report is £5.97 as a one-off payment. It adds outstanding finance, insurance write-off category, stolen markers, keeper changes, plate changes, the complete MOT history with advisories, and a mileage timeline that highlights anything suspicious.
MOT and tax status tell you whether a car is legal today. They do not tell you whether somebody else has a financial claim on it. Outstanding finance is the single biggest risk in a private used car sale: the agreement stays attached to the vehicle, not the seller, and a lender can repossess a car the buyer has already paid for. The report checks the national finance register and returns every recorded agreement.
Write-off records matter for a different reason. A Category S or Category N car can be repaired and sold legally, but a repaired structural write-off is worth materially less than a clean equivalent, and insurers may refuse to cover it on the terms you expect. Stolen markers are rarer but decisive, and keeper history is where clocked mileage usually shows up: a car that changes hands six times in four years, or whose recorded mileage drops between MOT tests, is a car worth walking away from.
MOT history and vehicle identity are pulled live from DVSA and DVLA at the moment you run a check, which is why a freshly tested car shows its new result straight away. Provenance data comes from Experian AutoCheck. A report you buy is stored against your check so you can reopen it, and we cache underlying responses for up to seven days so a repeat check is fast without ever showing you a stale MOT result as if it were current.
No online check inspects the car. Condition, tyres, brakes, accident damage that was never recorded through insurance, and service history in a glovebox are all outside what a database can see. Use the report to rule cars out, then see the vehicle in person, in daylight, and consider a pre-purchase inspection for anything expensive. Our data sources and methodology page lists every field and its origin.
Free check: £0. Full history report: £5.97, one-off, no subscription. Optional extras are ticked by you before paying and are never bundled silently. See pricing for the full breakdown, or run a free check now.
Type any UK registration plate into the search box. No spaces needed — works for cars, vans, motorcycles and HGVs.
We check DVSA, DVLA and licensed databases in real time. Your free vehicle summary appears on screen in seconds — no signup required.
Read MOT history, tax status and specs for free. Unlock the full report for outstanding finance, write-off and stolen checks.