How CarCheckUp Works | Vehicle History Check Methodology

1. Finding the vehicle

You search by registration number or by VIN (chassis number). A registration is checked for a valid UK format first. A VIN is looked up in the DVSA MOT database, which returns the vehicle's current registration; the check then continues with that registration.

2. The free check

For every free check we request two government records for that registration:

DVLA vehicle record: make, colour, fuel type, engine size, year of manufacture, month of first registration, tax status and due date, MOT status, CO2 emissions, Euro status, wheel plan, revenue weight, type approval, the date the last V5C logbook was issued and whether the vehicle is marked for export.
DVSA MOT history: every MOT test on record with its date, result, recorded mileage, failure items, advisories and dangerous defects, and whether the vehicle has an outstanding safety recall.

The free check never uses paid data: finance, write-off, stolen and keeper records are only requested when you buy a full report.

3. The mileage anomaly check

We put every readable MOT mileage reading in date order and flag a reading that is lower than the highest reading on an earlier day. Three rules keep false alarms down:

Readings from the same day are not compared with each other. A failed MOT and its retest often carry readings a few miles apart, in either order.
Tests where the tester recorded the odometer as unreadable are left out.
On the full report, mileage readings recorded outside the MOT (for example by dealers or insurers), where available, are added to the same timeline.

A potential anomaly, not proof of fraud. A lower reading can come from a typing error at the test centre, a replaced instrument cluster, a change between miles and kilometres, or clocking. The report shows the readings so you can ask the seller about them; it does not say that the mileage has been tampered with.

4. The full report

When you buy a full report, we request the vehicle's history from Experian and combine it with the DVLA and DVSA records above. The report covers:

Outstanding finance: finance agreements registered against the vehicle, with the lender, agreement type and date.
Insurance write-offs: records on the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR), with the category (A, B, C, D, S or N), loss date and cause where supplied.
Police stolen marker: whether the vehicle is recorded as stolen, or as stolen and recovered.
High risk register: interests registered by finance companies, insurers or other organisations.
Keepers, plates and colours: previous keeper changes, number plate changes and colour changes, with dates.
Status markers: imported, exported, scrapped, VIC inspection and first registration details.

The report shows the records as they were when it was produced. If you are signed in, it is saved to your account and you can open it again from My History.

5. What each result means

Result	Meaning
Alert	An adverse record is present: finance, a write-off, a stolen marker, a high risk entry or a scrapped marker.
Warning	Worth a closer look: a mileage anomaly, no valid MOT, untaxed, exported, or a VIC inspection.
Information	History to be aware of that is not a problem by itself: keeper, plate or colour changes, an import.
Clear	The source returned no record for this check.
Not returned	The source returned nothing we can read for this check. We never show this as clear.

"No record found" means the source holds no record, not that nothing ever happened: see what a report cannot tell you.

6. Our own statistics

Model pages and our research use anonymised, aggregated results of checks run on CarCheckUp. No figure identifies a vehicle or a person. Each figure states the number of vehicles behind it and the period it covers, and describes the vehicles checked with us rather than all vehicles on UK roads.