Before you buy it
You've checked the tax and MOT. Here is what that doesn't tell you, and what to check before you hand over money.
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Four things your check can't see
- Money owed on it. A car on hire purchase or conditional sale belongs to the lender until it's paid off. Buy it from someone still paying and you can end up in a dispute with the lender over who owns it.4
- Stolen. If it was stolen, it isn't yours, whatever you paid.5
- Written off. It may have been written off by an insurer and repaired. That can be fine, as long as you know before you agree a price.6
- The engine, clutch and gearbox. An MOT doesn't test them.2
The free online records don't show the first three.1 A paid history check does.
Look again
Read the MOT history once more
Every test records the mileage, so the readings should only go up.1 In the history, look for:
- a reading lower than the one before it. A replaced dashboard or a typing error can explain one, so ask the seller for the paperwork;
- the same advisory year after year, which usually means it was never fixed;
- a gap with no MOT once the car was old enough to need one. In England, Scotland and Wales most cars need their first MOT by the third anniversary of registration, and the online history starts in 2005 (2017 in Northern Ireland), so neither of those is a gap.1, 9
Before you hand over money
Before the viewing
- Ask the seller for the registration, make, model and MOT test number, and check they match the DVLA and MOT records.3
- Check whether it has been recalled for a safety issue.3
- Run a paid history check for finance, theft and write-offs.
At the viewing
- Ask to see the log book (V5C). It should have a "DVL" watermark.3
- Check its serial number is not between BG8229501 and BG9999030, or BI2305501 and BI2800000. If it is, the log book might be stolen: call the police as soon as it's safe to.3
- Check the VIN and engine number on the car match the log book.3
- Have the engine, clutch and gearbox looked at, since the MOT doesn't.2
Once it's yours
Is a paid check worth it?
The free online records don't show finance, insurance write-off records or stolen markers, so a paid check is the simplest way to see them before you pay. A single check from the best-known providers costs roughly £10 to £20, and packs are cheaper if you're comparing several cars. Make sure the one you choose includes outstanding finance: some charge extra for it.
The detail
- Finance. If a car on hire purchase or conditional sale is sold before it's paid off, the law protects a private buyer who bought "in good faith without notice" of the agreement. It doesn't protect motor traders, and it doesn't cover other kinds of borrowing. Northern Ireland has the same rule in its own Act.4, 8
- Stolen. A buyer "acquires no better title to the goods than the seller had".5
- Write-offs. Category A and B cars can't go back on the road. Category S (structural damage) and N (non-structural) can, once repaired to a roadworthy condition. DVLA records category S in the log book.6
- Mileage. A trader selling a car with a misleading mileage can commit an offence even without knowing, unless they took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence.7
Sources
- GOV.UK, Get vehicle information from DVLA and Check the MOT history of a vehicle
- GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: the MOT test
- GOV.UK, Check a used vehicle you're buying
- Hire Purchase Act 1964, section 27 and section 29
- Sale of Goods Act 1979, section 21
- GOV.UK, Insurance write-offs
- Business Companion (Trading Standards), Mileage of used vehicles
- Hire-Purchase Act (Northern Ireland) 1966, section 62
- GOV.UK, Getting an MOT
Checked October 2026. General information, not legal advice.