MOTCOHome
HPI charges £19.99. MOTCO charges £4.99.

HPI Check.
Not the HPI Price.

Full vehicle history check from £4.99 + VAT. Stolen check, outstanding finance, write-off history and MOT records. Same core data as HPI. £15 cheaper.

Enter any UK reg to start your free check

Free results load in seconds. MOT history, mileage, tax and specs always free. Add the full check on the results page for £4.99 + VAT. No account needed.

DVSA source
Same government MOT data as HPI
£4.99 + VAT
Full report. HPI charges £19.99.
Instant results
Free check loads in under 60 seconds

What your results look like

Free data loads in seconds. The full check unlocks within 30 seconds of payment.

SAMPLE
AB12 CDE
VW Golf 1.5 TSI
2019 · Silver · 1.5L Petrol
Always FreeFREE
✓
MOT History6 tests · Last: PASS Jun 2025 · Advisory: brake pad wear noted
✓Mileage Records48,203 miles · Consistent year-on-year
✓Tax StatusTaxed · Valid until Jan 2027
✓Vehicle Specs1.5L Petrol · 128g/km CO2 · Euro 6
Full History Report£4.99 + VAT
✓Outstanding Finance
CLEAR
✓Stolen Check
CLEAR
✓Write-off History
CLEAR
✓Mileage Verification
CONSISTENT

Sample report. Registration, vehicle details and results are illustrative only.

What's included

Every search gives you free data. The full report adds the four checks that matter most when buying.

Always freeFREE
  • ✓
    Full MOT history
    Every test result, advisory and failure since 2005. Direct from DVSA.
  • ✓
    Mileage records
    Odometer reading logged at every MOT. Inconsistencies flagged automatically.
  • ✓
    Tax status
    Current road tax expiry date from DVLA.
  • ✓
    Vehicle specs
    Engine size, fuel type, colour, CO2 emissions and registration details.
Full history report£4.99 + VAT
  • ✓
    Stolen vehicle check
    Cross-referenced against the Police National Database.
  • ✓
    Outstanding finance
    HP, PCP and lease agreements. If finance exists, the lender owns the car.
  • ✓
    Write-off history
    Insurance categories A, B, S and N. Know before you buy.
  • ✓
    Mileage verification
    Expert analysis of mileage patterns with anomaly flagging.

HPI charges £19.99 for the equivalent report. MOTCO charges £4.99 + VAT. See full comparison.

MOTCO vs HPI Check

Same data sources. £15 cheaper. Full comparison here.

CheckMOTCOHPI Check
MOT history (DVSA)FreeIncluded in paid plan
Mileage recordsFreeIncluded in paid plan
Tax statusFreeIncluded in paid plan
Vehicle specsFreeIncluded in paid plan
Stolen vehicle checkIncluded in £4.99Included in £19.99
Outstanding financeIncluded in £4.99Included in £19.99
Write-off historyIncluded in £4.99Included in £19.99
Mileage verificationIncluded in £4.99Included in £19.99
Valuation£1.99 add-onBundled at higher price
Full report price£4.99 + VAT£19.99+

What skipping a check actually costs

A £4.99 check protects a £5,000 to £20,000 purchase. These are the risks that make it irrational to skip.

Outstanding finance
The finance company legally owns the car until the debt is cleared. They can repossess it at any time. You lose the car and every pound you paid.
Stolen vehicle
Police can seize a stolen car regardless of how you came to own it. The car is gone. There is no compensation.
Insurance write-off
Category S and N vehicles have structural or non-structural damage. Some are uninsurable. Some are unsafe. You may be liable for repairs the seller never declared.
Clocked mileage
A car with 90,000 miles sold as 45,000 will cost double in repairs, fail MOT sooner, and be worth far less than you paid.

Check any UK reg now

How we source our data

MOTCO accesses the same underlying databases as HPI, Total Car Check and CarVertical. No vehicle history provider has exclusive access to these sources.

DVSAUK Government

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes full MOT test records from 2005 via a government API. Every test result, advisory, failure reason and odometer reading is sourced directly from the national testing database with no third-party processing.

Police National DatabaseLaw Enforcement

Operated by the National Police Chiefs' Council. All UK police forces submit stolen vehicle records here. A check against the PND is the authoritative source for stolen status used by all major vehicle history providers in the UK.

Finance and insurance registersIndustry

Outstanding finance data comes from UK lender databases covering HP, PCP and lease agreements. Write-off data comes from the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR) and the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE). These are the same registers used by HPI, Total Car Check and CarVertical.

How it works

1
Enter any UK reg
Type or paste any registration. Works on all UK-registered vehicles. No account needed.
2
Get free results instantly
MOT history, mileage records, tax status and vehicle specs load immediately.
3
Add the full check
See stolen status, finance, write-off history and mileage verification for £4.99 + VAT on the results page.

If the check finds a problem with the vehicle

Do not complete the purchase until you have worked through these steps.

1
Outstanding finance: pause the transaction immediately
Ask the seller for a settlement letter from their lender and written confirmation the agreement is terminated. Do not complete the sale until you hold that evidence. Full guidance: outstanding finance check.
2
Stolen status: do not hand over money and contact police
If the check returns a stolen flag, walk away. Do not return the vehicle to the seller if you already have it. Contact police via 101 with the registration number and any seller details.
3
Write-off history: request documentation and negotiate on price
Ask for the full repair history. Category S requires an independent structural inspection. Category N requires receipts for specific repairs. Negotiate 20 to 40 percent below market for Cat S or 15 to 30 percent for Cat N.

Related guides

Common questions

Is MOTCO data the same as HPI?
MOTCO pulls MOT and mileage history directly from DVSA, the same government source all major providers use. Finance, stolen and write-off data comes from the same industry databases that power HPI, CarVertical and other history checks.
Is there a free HPI check?
There is no genuinely free HPI check that covers the checks that matter. The DVSA offers free MOT data through its own checker, and MOTCO also provides this free. But stolen, finance and write-off checks require a paid report from any provider. MOTCO charges £4.99 + VAT. HPI charges £19.99.
What does the £4.99 MOTCO report include?
The full report includes: stolen vehicle check against the Police National Database, outstanding finance check, write-off history covering Cat A, B, S and N, and expert mileage verification. Full MOT history, mileage records, tax status and vehicle specs are always free.
How do I run a check?
Enter any UK registration plate in the search box. Your free results load instantly. To see the full check including finance, stolen and write-off status, purchase the £4.99 + VAT report on the results page. No account needed.
How does MOTCO compare to other HPI alternatives?
At £4.99 + VAT, MOTCO is one of the lowest-priced full vehicle history checks in the UK. CarVertical charges around £14.99. Total Car Check charges £9.99. HPI charges £19.99. The core data across providers comes from the same underlying industry sources.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to run a search or purchase a report. Create a free account if you want to save searches, set MOT reminders, or get alerts when a vehicle's V5C logbook changes.

Ready to check?

Full vehicle history from £4.99 + VAT. HPI charges £19.99 for the same core data. Enter any UK reg to start.

Enter any UK reg

Data sourced from DVSA (UK Government), Police National Database and UK finance and insurance industry registers (MIAFTR, CUE). Reviewed by the MOTCO vehicle data team. Updated June 2026.