Check a car's history before you buy

A history check reveals a vehicle’s background that you cannot see from the listing: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records and category, stolen and scrapped markers, import and export records, plate transfers, the number of previous keepers, and the full MOT mileage history with any clocking flagged.

It covers the same kind of provenance data that people mean when they say "HPI check" (HPI is a brand name that became a generic term). A CarMate History Check uses Experian data for finance, write-off, stolen and similar markers, and adds the full MOT mileage timeline. Unlike a standard history check, it can also tell you whether the asking price is fair, and it is cheaper.

Yes, and there are two tiers with a price each. The £9.99 History Check is backed by a £10,000 Experian data guarantee, which covers most used cars since it only needs to match what the car is worth. The £14.99 History Check is backed by the full £30,000 guarantee, the same level of cover HPI sell at £19.99. If a recorded marker, such as outstanding finance or a write-off, was on the records at the time of your check but the report missed it, the guarantee protects you up to its limit. It covers the accuracy of the data at the time of the check, not finance or other events added to the car after the check date, since a history check is a snapshot in time. This is separate from the 30-day money-back guarantee on your purchase.

Run a History Check with the registration. If there is an active finance agreement recorded against the vehicle, it is shown along with the type of agreement. Buying a car with outstanding finance is risky because the finance company can legally repossess it from you even after you have paid the seller.

They are UK insurance write-off categories. Cat A and B are the most severe (the vehicle should never return to the road). Cat S means structural damage that has been or must be professionally repaired. Cat N means non-structural damage. A History Check shows the category and the date it was recorded.

Vehicle provenance (finance, write-off, stolen, scrapped, import and plate or keeper records) is sourced from Experian. Mileage and MOT history come from the official DVSA records, and vehicle specification from the DVLA.

Under a minute. You enter the registration, we pull the Experian and DVLA/DVSA records live, and the full report is ready straight away, with a downloadable PDF you can keep or share.

Yes, and that is the point of checking before you buy. You only need the registration plate, which is shown in most adverts or given by the seller on request. You do not need to be the owner or keeper to run a History Check.

If the car has ever been through a UK salvage auction, the History Check surfaces that record: the damage description, the mileage when it was salvaged, the auction it went through, and links to the actual photos where they are held. That is more detail than the write-off category a standard HPI check records on its own.