Used-car buying guides

Plain-English guides to checking, buying and owning a used car in the UK. Written by our editors and checked against official DVLA and DVSA data.

A row of parked white, olive and red cars in a car park

Featured guideChecks explained

What a car history check includes: the 18 checks

A reg check, a number plate check and a car checker all look up the same thing: a car's records. Here's every check, what it answers and which are free.

Hubert Rachwalski · Updated 26 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

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Latest guides

The exhaust pipe of a dark car below its wet rear bumper, over rough, wet ground

Banger Watch7 min read

Which diesel cars have DPF problems?

Every modern diesel has a particulate filter, and short trips can clog it. Here's what reviewers and DVSA's recalls say, and what to check before you buy.

Natalie Pilling· Updated 30 Oct 2026

Cars parked along a street of stone terraced houses

Buying guides9 min read

The top 5 UK car history checks compared

Five of the best-known UK car history checks set against our 18 checks: what each costs, what it covers, what's free and how to avoid a subscription trap.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 30 Oct 2026

The top of a petrol engine with its cover off, showing oily valve gear beside an orange dipstick handle

Banger Watch8 min read

Petrol engines with known problems in used cars

Some popular petrol engines have recalls or buying-guide warnings, from cylinder head cracks to timing chain wear. Here's which engines, which cars, and what to check.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 30 Oct 2026

Close-up of the front of an engine, with a ribbed drive belt running round its pulleys

Banger Watch6 min read

Which engines have wet timing belt problems?

Some common petrol and diesel engines run their timing belt in the engine oil, and it can wear early. Here's which ones, what their makers have done, and what to check.

Natalie Pilling· Updated 30 Oct 2026

A white learner driver L plate with a red L, lying on dark asphalt

Banger Watch6 min read

First cars to avoid: the versions with known faults

Some popular small cars have engines or years with known faults. Here's which versions, what their makers did, and what to check.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 29 Oct 2026

White SUV with a roof box and four bikes on a rear rack, parked by a road below red cliffs

Banger Watch7 min read

Family cars to avoid buying used

Avoid the version, not the whole model. These family hatchbacks, SUVs and MPVs have a recall or a fault their maker describes, and here's what to check on each.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 29 Oct 2026

Black-and-white close-up of a five-speed manual gear knob, with the gear pattern on top

Banger Watch8 min read

Which used cars have known gearbox problems?

Some common used cars have gearboxes that Parkers or DVSA flag, from Ford's Powershift to automated manuals. Here's which cars, which years, and what to check.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 28 Oct 2026

A charging cable with a blue-lit plug connected to the charging port of a grey car, next to its alloy wheel

Banger Watch7 min read

Used electric car battery problems to check for

Every electric car's battery fades with age, and a few models have had battery recalls. Here's which ones, how to check a battery's health and what the warranty covers.

Maciej Kalka· Updated 28 Oct 2026

A row of parked hatchbacks seen from the front, with a dark blue one in focus

Banger Watch7 min read

Used cars to avoid under £5,000

Popular older cars whose particular engines, gearboxes or years have known faults, recorded by recalls, makers and used-car reviews, and what to check on each before you buy.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 28 Oct 2026

A hand plugging a coiled charging cable into the charging socket of a white car

Banger Watch7 min read

Used hybrid car problems to look out for

Some known faults on common used hybrids and plug-in hybrids, mostly from the DVSA's recall records, with the years they affect and what to check before you buy one.

Maciej Kalka· Updated 27 Oct 2026

A neon sign reading Quality Used Cars, glowing red and blue in the dark

Buying guides9 min read

Is this car worth buying? What to check before you pay

How to judge the used car in front of you before you pay: its logbook, MOT history, mileage, finance, write-off record and price, step by step.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 27 Oct 2026

The instrument panel of an older car, with a speedometer in miles and kilometres per hour behind a blurred steering wheel

Buying guides6 min read

Should you avoid a high-mileage used car?

High mileage puts many buyers off, but how a car was looked after matters more than how far it has gone. When the miles matter, and what to check.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 27 Oct 2026

A mechanic in grey work clothes leaning over the open engine bay of a dark car

Banger Watch7 min read

Used cars with expensive repairs to watch out for

Some used cars have known faults that cost hundreds or thousands of pounds to put right. Here's which models and engines, what the repairs can cost, and what to check.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 27 Oct 2026

Three cars parked in a dark car park under a single streetlight at night

Banger Watch6 min read

The most stolen cars in the UK

DVLA figures What Car? obtained show which models had the most thefts in 2025. Here's the top 10, how those thefts split by generation, and how to check a car you're buying isn't stolen.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 27 Oct 2026

A bunch of keys on a key ring, lying on a dark wooden table

Checks explained7 min read

How to check if a car has outstanding finance

If a car still has finance owed, the lender can take it back, even from you. Here's how to check in two minutes, and what to do if a car fails.

Natalie Pilling· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A woman sitting in the back of a car, looking at her phone

Scams & safety8 min read

Why a car history check matters more now AI can fake adverts

AI can fake the photos, the advert and even the seller on a video call. It can't fake the car's official record. Here's how to check it.

Natalie Pilling· Updated 26 Oct 2026

Used cars parked on a dealer's forecourt

Buying guides6 min read

CarCanny vs Carpeep: which car history check should you use?

Both check finance, theft, write-offs and mileage. They differ on price, valuation and guarantees. Here's an honest side-by-side.

Maciej Kalka· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A car's rev counter and speedometer lit up in a dark cabin

Buying guides6 min read

CarCanny vs carVertical: which car history check should you use?

carVertical covers cars with a history abroad. CarCanny focuses on UK records for less. Here's an honest side-by-side.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A silver sports car in an underground car park, with people looking on

Buying guides7 min read

CarCanny vs HPI Check: which car history check should you use?

HPI names the lender and offers a guarantee. In our tests it didn't show MOT history or mileage readings. Here's an honest side-by-side.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A cluttered workshop with workbenches, vices and tools

Buying guides7 min read

CarCanny vs vCheck: which car history check should you use?

vCheck has cheap entry tiers and salvage auction photos. CarCanny explains every result in plain English. Here's an honest side-by-side.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A person holding a socket wrench over the open bonnet of a blue car

Banger Watch6 min read

The most unreliable used cars in the UK

The 10 used cars with the lowest scores in Warrantywise's 2026 Reliability Index, how the index is worked out, and why it can't tell you about the car in front of you.

Hubert Rachwalski· Updated 26 Oct 2026

The rev counter and speedometer of an older car, seen past the steering wheel

Banger Watch6 min read

Which used cars show the most signs of clocking?

The models that most often showed signs of a wound-back mileage in carVertical's UK checks in 2026, what those figures can and can't tell you, and how to check the car you're looking at.

Maciej Kalka· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A mechanic in a grey uniform inspecting the engine of a car

Checks explained7 min read

How to read a car's MOT history before you buy

Past MOTs show what's gone wrong, what's been put off and whether the mileage adds up. Here's how to read them before you buy a used car.

Natalie Pilling· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A car dashboard with a speedometer and a digital display

Checks explained7 min read

How to tell if a car has been clocked

Clocking winds back a car's mileage so it looks less worn than it is. Here's how to spot it from the MOT record and at the viewing.

Maciej Kalka· Updated 26 Oct 2026

Checks explained7 min read

How to check if a car is a write-off (Cat S, N, A, B)

An insurance write-off can hide crash damage. Here's how to check a car's write-off category, what each one means and when to walk away.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 26 Oct 2026

A car with its bonnet open, raised on a lift in a cluttered garage

Banger Watch7 min read

Most popular used cars and their MOT failures

We counted every MOT taken by the UK's ten best-selling used cars in 2024 and 2025. Here's which failed more often than cars their age, and on what.

Michał Żelazko· Updated 26 Oct 2026

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