Both CarMate and carVertical help you avoid a bad used car, but they are built for slightly different jobs. carVertical is an international vehicle history report. CarMate is a UK car-buying tool that checks the history and reads the actual listing to tell you whether it is a deal.
Here is a straight comparison so you can pick the right one. There are real cases where that is carVertical, and we will say so.
Side by side
| CarMate | carVertical | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | UK listing + history + price verdict | International vehicle history report |
| Reads the actual advert | Yes, scores the listing and the seller | No, history only |
| Tells you if the price is fair | Yes, market valuation vs the asking price | No |
| UK finance / write-off / stolen | Yes, Experian provenance | Yes, varies by record |
| Imported / cross-border history | Limited (UK-focused) | Strong, this is their edge |
| UK salvage-auction photos & damage | Yes, included in the History Check | Yes, where available |
| Accident photos from abroad | No | Often, where available |
| MOT + mileage timeline | Yes, full DVSA history | Yes |
| Negotiation help | Yes, opening offer + script | No |
| Data guarantee | Up to £30,000 on the History Check | Yes, terms differ |
| Price | History Check £9.99 (£14.99 for £30k cover), Listing Check £5.00 | Per report, usually more for a single check |
A real example
Say you have found a 2018 VW Golf on Facebook Marketplace at £10,500. It looks clean, the seller seems keen, and there are already a couple of other people "interested".
Run it through carVertical and you get a history report: any recorded finance, write-off or mileage discrepancy, plus overseas records if the car ever spent time abroad. Genuinely useful, but you are still the one left deciding what it all means and whether £10,500 is a fair number.
Run the same car through CarMate and you get that same provenance data, then a read on the advert itself (does the seller's story hang together, are there scam signals), a market valuation that tells you £10,500 is roughly £800 over the going rate, and a one-line verdict: negotiate, and here is your opening offer. If that Golf had ever been through a UK salvage auction, you would also see the damage category and any photos on record.
Both told you the truth about the car. Only one told you what to do about the listing in front of you.
Where carVertical is genuinely the better pick
We are not going to pretend otherwise. If the car was imported into the UK, or you want a record of damage and accident photos from other countries, carVertical pulls from international databases that a UK-focused check like ours does not reach. For a fresh import with a foreign history, that international reach is worth paying for.
Where CarMate fits better for UK buyers
If you are buying a car that has lived its life in the UK, the questions you actually have are usually: is this seller telling the truth? Is the price fair? Should I bother driving to see it? carVertical gives you a history report and stops there.
CarMate reads the listing itself, cross-checks it against DVLA and DVSA records and Experian provenance, estimates the market value against the asking price, and ends with one plain verdict plus the questions to ask the seller. If the car has ever been through a UK salvage auction, it surfaces the damage detail and any photos on record too, not just a write-off letter. The History Check is backed by a £10,000 data guarantee at £9.99, or the full £30,000 guarantee at £14.99, and a Listing Check is £5.99.
It is a different shape of answer: carVertical tells you what happened to the car; CarMate tells you whether to buy this one.
Which should you choose?
- Imported car, or you want international accident photos - carVertical.
- UK car, and you want to know if the advert and the price stack up - CarMate.
- The full picture on a specific UK car before you pay - the CarMate Full Buyer Check covers the listing and the history together.
If you have already decided you want the provenance data for less, our guide on the HPI check alternative walks through what a history check should cost and what to look for.
What neither one can tell you
Worth being straight about this: no history check, ours or carVertical's, can see a repair that was never recorded. A car straightened out in a home garage with no insurance claim leaves no paper trail for anyone to find. Both tools read the same kind of official and auction records, and neither is magic. That is exactly why CarMate also reads the advert and the price, the clues that tend to show up when the paperwork looks clean but the deal itself does not.
Common questions
Is CarMate or carVertical better for a UK used car?
For a normal UK-registered car, CarMate is built for the job: it checks the history through Experian, reads the actual listing, estimates the market value against the asking price and gives a buy-or-walk verdict. carVertical is stronger if the car was imported or you specifically want accident photos and damage records from outside the UK.
When is carVertical the better choice?
carVertical pulls from international databases, so for a car imported into the UK, or when you want a record of past damage and accident photos from other countries, it reaches data that a UK-focused check does not.
What does CarMate do that carVertical does not?
CarMate reads the listing itself, estimates whether the asking price is fair against the market, flags scam and red-flag signals in the advert, and gives negotiation help with an opening offer. carVertical provides a vehicle history report but does not assess the advert or the price.
Is carVertical worth it for a car that has always been in the UK?
If the car has been UK-registered its whole life, carVertical's edge is its overseas databases, which never come into play, so you are paying a premium for reach you will not use. For a lifelong-UK car, a UK-focused check like CarMate or HPI covers what you need for less. carVertical earns its price when there is a genuine import or overseas history.
Can I see salvage or accident photos on CarMate?
If the car has ever been through a UK salvage auction, yes: CarMate surfaces the damage category and any photos held on that auction record as part of the History Check, not just a write-off letter. For accident photos from outside the UK, carVertical's international coverage is stronger.
Does CarMate check imported cars?
CarMate runs full UK provenance (Experian, DVLA, DVSA), so it covers a car's UK life completely. For a car's history before it was imported, carVertical's overseas databases reach records CarMate does not. If the foreign history is the thing you are worried about, that is carVertical's strength.
How much does a CarMate History Check cost?
A CarMate History Check is £9.99 with a £10,000 data guarantee, or £14.99 with the full £30,000 guarantee, which is the same cover HPI charge £19.99 for. A Listing Check is £5.00.
CarMate is operated by Moose Technologies Ltd. Vehicle provenance is supplied by Experian, with official DVLA and DVSA records. CarMate is not affiliated with carVertical, and the comparison above reflects each service's stated focus at the time of writing.