Free MOT history and car check
Enter a UK number plate for the full MOT history, mileage checks that flag drops and gaps, advisories in plain English, recall status and the MOT due date.
We’re waiting for access to DVSA’s MOT history service. Meanwhile, see an example report, MOT pass rates by model or GOV.UK’s free MOT history checker.
- Free, no sign-up
- MOT data from DVSA, under the Open Government Licence
- Independent: not a government service
What you get
Full MOT history
Every test since 2005: pass or fail, mileage, and each advisory and defect, explained so you know what it costs to ignore.
Mileage checks
A timeline of recorded mileage. We flag readings that go backwards, suspicious jumps and long gaps between tests, and tell a likely typo from a likely clocking.
Recalls and MOT due date
DVSA’s outstanding safety-recall status and the date the current MOT runs out, with a link to GOV.UK’s free tax check.
What it’s worth
Selling? Buying? One click to a free valuation or a full history check from our partners (clearly marked as ads).
Before you buy
How to spot a clocked car
The mileage checks anyone can do: MOT records, service history, wear and paperwork.
Used car checklist
Paperwork, history checks, the test drive and your rights, in order.
MOT pass rates by model
How often each model passes first time, compared at the same age, and what makes them fail.
Common questions
Where does the data come from?
From the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s MOT History API, published under the Open Government Licence. It covers cars, vans and motorcycles tested in Great Britain since 2005 and Northern Ireland since 2017. We’re not part of DVSA or DVLA; we present their open data.
Does it show tax, finance, write-offs or stolen status?
No. Tax status comes from DVLA, whose service isn’t open to new sites at the moment; use GOV.UK’s free tax check. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and theft markers are only in paid history checks, which is what the “full check” partner button is for.
Do you store the number plates people look up?
No. The plate is sent in the form, used to fetch the record, held in memory for a few minutes so a refresh doesn’t cost another lookup, and then gone. It never appears in a web address and we don’t log it. Privacy notice.
Why doesn’t a car show up?
Cars under three years old usually have no MOT yet (we show the first due date where DVSA has it). Records before 2005 aren’t computerised. And 0/O and 1/I are easy to mix up.