"HPI check" is what many people in the UK call any vehicle history check. The name comes from HPI (originally Hire Purchase Information), a company that has recorded vehicle finance since 1938, and it became shorthand for checking a used car before you buy it. This guide explains what the term means today, what "HPI clear" means, and what you can check for free.
What is an HPI check?
In everyday use, an HPI check is a vehicle history check: a search of the records held against a car's registration and VIN, to find anything the seller might not mention. The core checks are the same whichever provider you use:
- Outstanding finance: hire purchase, PCP or a logbook loan still recorded against the car. See our outstanding finance check.
- Insurance write-offs: Cat S, N, C or D records from the insurance industry's register. See our write-off check.
- Stolen markers: whether the police have recorded the car as stolen. See our stolen car check.
- Mileage: readings from MOT tests and other sources, compared for drops. See our free mileage check.
- Identity: keeper changes, number plate changes, colour changes, and imported, exported or scrapped markers.
What does "HPI clear" mean?
A car described as "HPI clear" had no adverse records on a history check: no outstanding finance, no write-off record and no stolen marker. Two things to keep in mind:
- It is only true on the date of that check. Finance can be taken out against a car later, so run your own check just before you pay.
- A seller's printout or screenshot can be old, for another car, or edited. Check the registration yourself and compare the VIN on the V5C logbook with the car.
Can you get an HPI check for free?
Partly. A free car check shows the DVLA record (make, colour, tax and MOT status) and the full MOT history with mileage readings, which already catches many problems. Finance, write-off and stolen records come from licensed databases, so every provider charges for them. Be wary of any site promising those for free.
How CarCheckUp's full report compares
A CarCheckUp full report covers the checks listed above: outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, police stolen markers, the high risk register, keeper, plate and colour changes, mileage records and status markers, alongside the free DVLA and MOT data. See a sample report and prices. Our UK Used Car Risk Report shows how often each record turns up on cars checked with us.
What a history check can't tell you
No check shows the car's mechanical condition, accidents that were never claimed on insurance, or its service history. Use a history check alongside an inspection, a test drive and the car's documents.
HPI and HPI Check are trademarks of HPI Limited. CarCheckUp is not affiliated with HPI; the term is used here only in its everyday sense of a vehicle history check.