Free car check
Enter any UK reg for the full picture: MOT history, mileage, tax, recalls and DVLA details. Free, from official government data.
Data from official DVLA & MOT databases
Enter any UK reg and CarMate pulls the car's official record for free: its MOT history, the mileage at every test, tax and SORN status, and the DVLA details. No sign-up, no payment.
It is the quickest way to sanity-check a car before you waste an evening driving to see it. If the mileage jumps around or the MOT history is patchy, you will know before you go.
What the free car check shows you
- Full MOT history: every pass, fail and advisory
- Mileage at each test, with a flag if it looks clocked
- Tax status, due date and SORN
- Make, model, colour, year and first registration
- Fuel type, engine size, CO2 and Euro status
- Export marker and outstanding recall status
What MOT history actually tells you
The MOT record is one of the most honest things you can read about a used car, because the garage has no reason to flatter it. The same advisory coming up year after year (a weeping shock, a corroded brake pipe, a tyre always near the limit) points to the car's weak spots and what you will end up spending on. A run of fails suggests it has been run on a shoestring. Long gaps usually mean it sat off the road on a SORN, which is worth asking about.
How we catch a clocked car
Every MOT test records the odometer reading on the day it was done. On an honest car that number only ever climbs. If a later test shows fewer miles than an earlier one, or the mileage barely moves for years and then leaps, something has been wound back. The free check lines up every reading and flags any drop, so you can raise it with the seller before you commit to a viewing.
What tax and SORN status means
Taxed means the car is road-legal to drive now. Untaxed means it has lapsed, so you would need to tax it before driving it home. SORN means the keeper has declared it off the road; it cannot legally be driven until taxed, and a long SORN is a hint the car has been standing, which can mean flat batteries, seized brakes or perished seals. None of these are deal-breakers on their own, but they tell you what you are walking into.
What CarMate adds that GOV.UK does not
GOV.UK will show you the same raw MOT and tax data, but it leaves the reading to you. CarMate does the reading: it builds the mileage timeline and flags any drop, picks out the advisories that keep recurring, summarises the car's likely weak spots, and tells you in plain terms whether this one is worth the trip. Same official data, but turned into a decision rather than a table of numbers.
Free check vs full buyer report
Free car check
The car's own record: MOT history, mileage and clocking flags, tax and SORN, and the DVLA details. Everything on this page, for free.
Full buyer report
Everything in the free check, plus the listing itself checked: outstanding finance, write-off, stolen and scrapped markers (history check with Experian data), a fair-price verdict against the live market, and the questions to put to the seller.
Free car check FAQs
Is the free car check really free?
Yes. Enter any UK registration and you get the car's full MOT history, mileage timeline, tax status and DVLA details for free, with no sign-up and no payment. It comes straight from official government databases.
What do I need to run a check?
Just the number plate. You do not need the V5C, the mileage, or any seller details. Type the reg and CarMate looks up the rest from the DVLA and DVSA records.
Can I tell if a car has been clocked?
Often, yes. Every MOT test records the odometer reading on the day. Mileage should only ever go up. If a later test shows fewer miles than an earlier one, or the mileage barely moves for years, the free check flags it so you can ask the seller before you go and see the car.
Does the free check show outstanding finance?
No. Finance, write-off, stolen and scrapped markers are not in the free DVLA and MOT data. Those come from the full history check, which runs against the reg using Experian data. The free check covers the car's own MOT, mileage, tax and DVLA record.
Is the data official?
Yes. The MOT history comes from the DVSA, and the vehicle details, tax and SORN status come from the DVLA. These are the same official records the government holds. CarMate reads them for you and points out what matters.