Buyer's check · before you view or pay
Used car check: everything you need before you buy
A history check tells you the car's past. A mechanic checks the metal on the day. A CarMate used car check is the step in between the two, and the one most buyers skip: it reads the advert, the history and the price together and tells you whether this car is even worth your time.
First Listing Check free · from a screenshot, link or reg
What a proper used car check covers
Most buyers look at the photos and the price. A proper buyer's check goes through everything that decides whether a car is a good buy, and each part traces back to an official record you can see.
The advert and seller
Reads the listing for red flags and scam signals, and cross-checks what the seller wrote against the official record.
Learn moreMOT and mileage
The full DVSA MOT history, with any mileage drop or clocking flagged automatically.
Learn moreRecorded history
Outstanding finance, insurance write-off, stolen and scrapped markers via Experian, backed by a data guarantee from £10,000.
Learn moreThe price
An estimated market value checked against the asking price, so you know if it is fair before you negotiate.
Learn moreThe verdict
One clear recommendation: worth viewing, worth negotiating, or walk away, with the questions to ask the seller.
Learn moreHistory check vs buyer's check vs inspection
These three get muddled all the time. They answer different questions, and a smart buyer uses them in order.
| History check | CarMate buyer's check | Physical inspection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answers | Is the past clean? | Is this one worth buying? | Is the metal sound? |
| Finance / write-off / stolen | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reads the advert | No | Yes | No |
| Checks the price | No | Yes | No |
| MOT + mileage | Sometimes | Yes | Partly |
| Physical condition | No | No | Yes |
| When | Before you buy | Before you view | On the day, if serious |
In plain terms: run the buyer's check first to decide if a car is even worth seeing, and it already includes the history. Save the mechanic's inspection for the one car you are serious about.
When to run it
Filter out the bad cars before you waste a trip. Walk in already knowing the MOT story, whether the mileage is believable, how the price compares, and exactly what to ask.
At the very least, never hand over a deposit or the full amount until you have confirmed the history is clean, especially that there is no outstanding finance on a private sale.
Used car check FAQs
What is a used car check?
A used car check is everything you should confirm about a car before you buy it: that the advert is honest, the mileage and MOT history stack up, the recorded history is clean (no outstanding finance, write-off or stolen marker), and the price is fair. CarMate does all of this from a screenshot, a listing link or the registration, and ends with one plain verdict: worth viewing, worth negotiating, or walk away.
Is a used car check the same as an HPI check?
Not quite. An HPI check (or any history check) covers the recorded background: finance, write-off, stolen and scrapped markers. That is one part of a full buyer's check. A CarMate check includes that history and also reads the advert for scam signals and checks whether the asking price is fair, so you get a verdict on the whole purchase, not just the car's past.
Do I still need a mechanic to inspect the car?
A used car check and a physical inspection do different jobs. CarMate is a desk check you run before you view: it tells you whether a car is worth your time and money in the first place, so you do not waste a trip or an inspection fee on a car with a clocked odometer, outstanding finance or a silly price. For anything mechanically expensive on a car you are serious about, a physical inspection on the day is still worth it.
When should I run a used car check?
Run it before you view. The whole point is to filter out the bad cars before you spend time and fuel driving to see them, and to walk in already knowing the MOT history, the mileage story, the price gap and the questions to ask. At the very least, run it before you pay any money or a deposit.
How much does a used car check cost?
A Listing Check is 1 credit (£5.99), and your first one is free. A full check that adds the Experian history is 2 credits (£11.98), backed by a data guarantee from £10,000. Credits never expire and there is no subscription.
What do I need to run a check?
A screenshot of the listing, the listing URL, or just the registration plate. CarMate reads listings from Gumtree, eBay Motors, AutoTrader and Facebook Marketplace, and can check any UK-registered car from the reg alone.
Check a car before you go and see it
Paste a listing, a link or a reg. You get the advert read, the MOT and mileage story, the recorded history, a price verdict and a clear recommendation, all in one report, in under a minute.