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1 in 3 used cars advertised privately has outstanding finance

Check If a Car Has
Outstanding Finance

A car with outstanding HP, PCP or lease finance can be legally repossessed from you at any time. The finance company owns it, not the seller. Check before you buy.

Enter any UK reg to run a 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.

1 in 3
Private used cars carry outstanding finance
£4.99 + VAT
Finance check included in full report
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 the finance check covers

MOTCO checks HP, PCP and lease agreements against industry finance databases. The check is included alongside stolen status, write-off history and mileage verification in the £4.99 + VAT report.

HP (Hire Purchase)
The most common finance type on used cars. The lender owns the vehicle until the final payment is made. Selling without settling HP is illegal.
PCP (Personal Contract Purchase)
The buyer makes monthly payments then either pays a final balloon or hands the car back. The finance company owns the car throughout. PCP cars sold privately are often still mid-agreement.
Lease Agreements
A leased vehicle belongs to the leasing company for the entire contract term. Private sales of leased cars are not the seller's to make. You would be buying a car that is not theirs to sell.

What buying a car with finance on it means

It is not a technicality. These are real outcomes that happen to buyers every year.

Repossession
The lender can recover the car at any time. Good-faith purchase is not a legal defence against a finance company reclaiming its asset.
You cannot sell on
Selling a car you don't own clear title to is illegal. If you discover finance after buying, you are holding an asset you cannot legally resell.
The seller disappears
By the time finance is discovered, the seller is often unreachable. Civil court recovery takes months and costs money you may never see back.
Full purchase price at risk
There is no buyer protection equivalent to Section 75 on a private sale. Lose the car to repossession and you lose every pound you paid.

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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
Works on all UK-registered vehicles. No account needed.
2
Free results instantly
MOT history, mileage records, tax status and vehicle specs load immediately.
3
Add the full report
Outstanding finance, stolen check, write-off history and mileage verification for £4.99 + VAT.

If the check finds outstanding finance

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

1
Do not complete the purchase until finance is resolved
Handing over money while finance is outstanding transfers the legal liability to you. Stop the transaction and tell the seller you have found a recorded finance agreement.
2
Ask the seller for a settlement letter from their lender
A legitimate seller can contact their finance company for a settlement figure. This letter confirms the amount needed to clear the debt and that the agreement exists.
3
Request written confirmation of settlement from the lender directly
A letter from the seller is not enough. Ask to see confirmation from the finance company that the agreement has been terminated. Do not rely on the seller's word alone.
4
Use a traceable payment method if you proceed
After verified settlement, pay by bank transfer rather than cash. Keep all payment records in case of future dispute.
5
Walk away if the seller cannot provide evidence
Any seller who cannot or will not provide settlement documentation is an unacceptable risk. Another car without this complication will cost less than repossession.

Related guides

Common questions

What happens if I buy a car with outstanding finance?
The finance company legally owns the car until the debt is cleared. They can repossess it regardless of whether you knew about the finance when you bought it. You lose the car and the money you paid for it. Your only recourse is to pursue the seller through civil court.
How common is outstanding finance on used cars?
Around 1 in 3 used cars advertised privately has some form of finance against it. Finance agreements do not automatically end when a car changes hands privately. A seller may still owe money even if they claim the car is clear.
Does the check cover PCP and lease agreements as well as HP?
Yes. MOTCO checks hire purchase (HP), personal contract purchase (PCP) and lease agreements. Under all three, the finance company legally owns the vehicle during the agreement period. Any of these create a repossession risk for buyers.
Can I buy a car with finance on it?
You can buy it, but you will not get clear title. The finance company retains ownership. If the seller has defaulted, the lender can repossess the car from you. The only safe path is confirming finance is fully settled before you hand over money.
How does the MOTCO finance check work?
MOTCO checks the registration against industry finance databases maintained by lenders and finance companies. A match means there is a recorded agreement against the vehicle. Results are returned instantly alongside stolen, write-off and mileage data.
How much does the check cost?
The outstanding finance check is included in the £4.99 + VAT full history report. The same report covers stolen status, write-off history and mileage verification. MOT history and mileage records are always free.

Check before you buy

Finance check, stolen check, write-off history and mileage verification. Full report £4.99 + VAT. Enter any UK reg to start.

Enter any UK reg

Finance data sourced from UK lender and finance company registers covering HP, PCP and lease agreements. MOT data from DVSA (UK Government). Reviewed by the MOTCO vehicle data team. Updated June 2026.