Free MOT History & Mileage Check

What your free MOT history check shows

Enter a UK registration number above and we look up the vehicle's MOT test record straight from DVSA's history data — the same tests garages log every time a car goes through its annual MOT. You'll see:

• The vehicle's identity — make, model, engine size and colour
• Whether the current MOT is valid, and when it expires
• Pass or fail result for each past test, with the date
• The mileage recorded at every test, going back as far as DVSA holds records

This part is genuinely free — no card details, no sign-up, no catch. It uses the same public MOT records anyone can look up one at a time on GOV.UK; we just pull the full history into one place, with the mileage timeline laid out clearly.

How to read MOT advisories and failures

Every MOT test ends with one of three outcomes: pass, pass with advisories, or fail. An advisory isn't a fail — it's the tester flagging something that's wearing out and worth watching, such as a tyre getting close to the legal limit or a bulb about to go, but that didn't fail the car on the day. A fail means a genuine defect was found, and until it's fixed the car legally shouldn't be driven except to get repaired.

One pattern worth watching for: the same advisory showing up test after test without ever being fixed. That doesn't necessarily mean the seller is hiding anything, but it's a fair reason to ask when they plan to sort it, or to price it into your offer.

The mileage timeline — spotting a clocked car

Each MOT test records the mileage on the odometer at that moment. Lined up in date order, those readings should climb steadily year on year. If a later test shows a lower mileage than an earlier one, that's the clearest public signal of "clocking" — winding back the odometer to make a car look newer and less used than it really is. It's illegal, and it still happens, and a private buyer has no easy way to catch it without pulling the full MOT history. Our free check lays out that timeline in order, so a gap or a drop is easy to spot before you go and view the car.

What this free check does not cover

Being straightforward about the limits matters more to us than sounding impressive. The MOT record tells you about roadworthiness and mileage — it says nothing about a car's ownership, finance or claims history, because DVSA doesn't hold that data. On its own, it will not tell you:

• Whether there's outstanding finance still owed on the car
• Whether it's recorded as an insurance write-off or total loss, category A, B, S or N
• Whether it's flagged as stolen on the police record
• Whether it's been scrapped, exported or destroyed
• How many previous keepers it's had

Those come from a search of DVLA vehicle registration data and VDG's finance and insurance-claim records, which is what the paid Full and Premium checks add. If all you want is the MOT and mileage timeline, the free check above is genuinely enough — you don't need to pay for it.

Frequently asked questions