What Does an HPI Check Show?
A complete breakdown of every data point in an HPI check, which ones are critical for buying safely, and which you can access for £4.99 instead of £19.99.
The four checks that actually matter
An HPI check covers a lot of data, but most buyers only need four things to protect themselves when buying a used car:
Outstanding finance
The single most important check. If a car has HP or PCP finance on it, the finance company legally owns it. They can repossess it even from a good-faith buyer. Around 1 in 3 used cars advertised privately has some form of finance against it.
Stolen status
Police can seize a stolen vehicle at any time. Buying stolen is not protected by good-faith purchase in the same way as finance. The car can be taken from your driveway with no compensation.
Write-off history
Category S (structural damage) and Category N (non-structural) vehicles can be legally sold. But Category S cars may have compromised chassis integrity. Either category affects insurance costs and resale value significantly.
Mileage verification
Clocked mileage (illegally wound back) costs buyers thousands in unexpected repairs and lost value. MOT records show the odometer reading at every test since 2005. Any decrease or implausible pattern is a clear red flag. Use the MOTCO mileage check to review this for free.
Full data point breakdown
The table below covers every data point in a standard HPI check, whether it is critical for buying safety, and whether MOTCO includes it.
Finance and ownership
The most common reason buyers lose cars. If finance exists, the lender owns the vehicle. They can repossess it even if you bought in good faith.
Vehicles on lease belong to the leasing company. A private sale of a leased car is illegal.
How many registered owners the vehicle has had. MOT history gives indirect evidence of keeper changes through testing location patterns.
When ownership last transferred. Not included in the MOTCO report.
Safety and status
Cross-referenced against the Police National Database. A stolen car can be seized at any time. You have no legal claim to it or your money.
Whether the car was declared a total loss by an insurer. Category S (structural damage) and N (non-structural) can still be sold. Categories A and B cannot legally be put back on the road.
Whether the vehicle has been officially scrapped. Scrapped cars cannot legally be resold.
Whether the registration plate has been changed. Sometimes used to disguise stolen or written-off vehicles.
Whether the vehicle was imported or exported. Can affect compliance, parts availability and value.
Mileage and condition
Whether the recorded mileage is consistent. MOTCO cross-references DVSA odometer readings at every MOT. Inconsistencies are flagged automatically.
Analysis of whether the mileage is plausible for the vehicle type, age and usage pattern.
Free data (DVSA and DVLA)
Every test, every result, every advisory and failure reason. Direct from DVSA.
Odometer reading logged at each test. Useful for detecting clocking independently.
Current road tax status from DVLA. Shows whether the vehicle is taxed.
Engine size, fuel type, colour, CO2 emissions and registration date.
What HPI checks that MOTCO does not
In the interest of accuracy: HPI's full report includes keeper history (number of previous owners and dates), plate change history, and scrapped status. These data points are not in MOTCO's £4.99 report.
For most private used car buyers, these are secondary concerns. The four critical checks (finance, stolen, write-off, mileage) are all included in MOTCO's report. If keeper history is important to you, HPI at £19.99 covers it, or you can infer approximate keeper count from the MOT history testing locations.
What is free from DVSA and DVLA
Before spending anything, run a free check. The UK government publishes two useful free data sources:
DVSA MOT history (free via MOTCO)
Every MOT test since 2005, including pass/fail results, all advisories, failure reasons and the odometer reading at each test. This is genuinely useful data. MOTCO adds pass rate scoring and mileage trend analysis on top of the raw records.
DVLA vehicle enquiry (free)
Tax status, MOT expiry, make, colour, engine size and year. Useful for verifying basic facts a seller tells you. Does not include finance, stolen or write-off data.
Quick verdict: what to run before buying
- Start with MOTCO's free check: MOT history, mileage trend, tax status
- Add the £4.99 full report: finance, stolen, write-off and mileage verification
- If keeper history matters: consider HPI at £19.99 for the complete picture
- For most buyers, MOTCO at £4.99 covers every critical risk
Get the full check for £4.99
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