Free car checks vs paid checks: a straight answer

The car-check industry is built on a blur: what is genuinely free, what costs money, and what each layer actually tells you. Here is the honest map.

The free layer (official public data)

• MOT history — every test, defect and mileage since 2005.
• Tax and MOT status — taxed or SORN, tested or expired.
• Vehicle basics — make, model, engine, colour, first registration.
• Clocking review — falls and odd patterns in the mileage trail (derived from the free data, though many sites charge for the analysis).

The paid layer (industry registers)

• Insurance write-off markers (Cat A/B/S/N) — held on the insurers' MIAFTR register, never in free data.
• Outstanding finance — whether a lender still owns part of the car; buy it and the debt can follow the car.
• Stolen (police) markers and plate/identity changes.

Which you need, honestly

Buying a £1,500 runabout? The free layer answers almost everything that matters. Spending serious money, or buying anything newer on private sale? Add the write-off check, and consider a finance check — a car with money owing can be repossessed from an innocent buyer. Match the spend to the stake.