Truck History Check: HGV MOT History and Records by Reg

Truck check by reg: HGV, lorry and van history

Enter the registration in the search box above. The free truck check shows the vehicle's make, model, body type, fuel, engine size, year, revenue weight, wheel plan and type approval category from the DVLA record, its tax and test status with the due dates, and its annual test history with the mileage at each test. The full report adds outstanding finance and leasing interests, insurance write-offs, the police stolen marker, previous keepers, plate changes, the VIN to compare with the chassis plate, and the manufacturer's weights and dimensions.

HGV MOT check: annual test history by registration

A goods vehicle over 3,500 kg gross weight has an annual test, usually called the HGV MOT, from one year old, at a DVSA testing station or an authorised testing facility (ATF). The DVSA has held the results of those tests for Great Britain since 2018, alongside car and van MOTs since 2005, and the free check shows them: pass or fail, the mileage recorded, the defects and advisories, and the certificate expiry date. Northern Ireland results are held since 2017.

What the HGV test history shows, and what it does not:

Read it as a buyer: a long gap in the test history, a run of failures on brakes, steering or suspension, or a mileage that jumps and then stalls are the things to ask about. A lorry's annual mileage is usually far higher than a car's, so compare the readings with the tachograph and the operator's records rather than with a car average. An "LGV MOT check" is the same thing: LGV in the licensing sense means large goods vehicle.

HGV trailer MOT check: what you can and can't see

A trailer over 3,500 kg gross weight, and most semi-trailers, needs its own annual test from one year old. A trailer has no registration: it is identified by its DVSA trailer identification number (the trailer ID on its plate) and its chassis number. Because the registration-based test history service works on registrations, a trailer's annual test history can't be looked up online by number plate, here or on GOV.UK. What you can check:

• The current annual test certificate: ask the seller for it and match the trailer ID and chassis number on the certificate to the plates on the trailer.
• The plating certificate and the ministry plate riveted to the chassis: design weights, axle weights and the date of the last plating.
• The maintenance file: operator licence rules require safety inspections at set intervals, with records kept, so a trailer that has worked under an O-licence should have a file.

Enter the tractor unit's registration above for its own history; the trailer is checked on paper and on the ground, not by reg.

Buses and coaches (PSV)

A bus or coach with more than eight passenger seats is a public service vehicle and has an annual test from one year old, held by the DVSA in the same record as the HGV tests since 2018. Enter the registration above and the free check shows its test history and status in the same way. The full report's finance, write-off, stolen and keeper records apply to a coach just as they do to a lorry.

Operator licence check

No history check shows who held a lorry on their operator licence. The Traffic Commissioners' operator licence register on GOV.UK is the free official search: look up the operator by name or licence number and you can see the licence type, the authorised vehicles and operating centres, and whether the licence is current.

Plating certificate and weights

Every HGV has a plating certificate and a ministry plate in the cab showing the plated gross vehicle weight, the train weight, the axle weights and, where the design allows it, the figures the vehicle may actually run at. The DVLA record shows the revenue weight, which sets the tax class and is usually the plated gross weight; the full report adds the manufacturer's kerb and gross weights and the dimensions. Mismatches matter: a vehicle downplated to a lower weight pays less tax and may be driven on a different licence, but carries less. See the vehicle weight check for what each figure means, and the type approval check for the N2 and N3 categories.

Why finance and write-offs matter more on a truck

• Finance. Most commercial vehicles are bought on hire purchase or lease. A truck sold with an agreement outstanding can be repossessed from you, and the sums are large. The finance check shows the lender and the agreement.
• Write-offs. Rollovers and cab damage are expensive, so insurers write trucks off readily; repaired ones return to work. The write-off check shows the category and the date.
• Theft. Tractor units and vans are stolen for export and for their parts. The stolen check searches the police marker; compare the VIN on the chassis plate with the V5C and the VIN check.
• Keepers. A unit that has passed through several operators in a short time, or a plate change that separates it from its history, deserves a question. The full report shows the keeper count and the last change date.

Vans under 3.5 tonnes

A van has an ordinary MOT from three years old (class 4 up to 3,000 kg, class 7 from 3,000 to 3,500 kg) and sits under the same records as a car. For the van-specific checks, including tax, ULEZ and the N1 category, see the van history check.

What the free check shows, and what the full report adds

The full history check runs on any UK-registered vehicle, from a car to a 44-tonne tractor unit; the sample report shows the layout.

Truck history check FAQs