What a car history check includes: the 18 checks
Reg check, number plate check, car checker: they all mean looking up a car's records from its registration. Here's what a full car history check covers, check by check, and what you get for free.
By Hubert Rachwalski
Founder and car enthusiast
Updated
First published
Quick answer
A car history check, or reg check, looks up a car's records from its number plate. CarCanny's full report checks mileage, finance, write-off and stolen, plus 14 more, such as MOT history and keepers. The free report answers one of the 18, logbook match, with a short AI verdict.
Key takeaways
- A reg check, a number plate check and a car history check all start from the car's registration. What changes is how many records each one reads.
- Finance, write-off, mileage and stolen decide whether to buy, and they need the full report, not the free report.
- A history check reads the records, so you still need to see the car, test drive it and match it to its logbook.
See what CarCanny finds on the car you're looking at.
What is a car history check?
A car history check looks up the records held on a car, using its registration number.
People search for it as a reg check, a number plate check, a reg checker or a car checker. They all start the same way: you type in the number plate, and the check finds the records linked to it. What changes is how much each one looks up.
What's the difference between a free reg check and a full report?
CarCanny's free report shows whether it's the right car, and the full report adds the checks that decide whether to buy.
The free report answers one of the 18 checks, logbook match, with a short AI verdict. The full report answers all 18, including the MOT status, every past MOT test and a valuation from recent sales of similar cars, for £9.99. The table further down shows which checks each one answers.
Use the free report to rule a car out before you travel to see it. If the plate, colour or engine size don't match the advert, you've saved a trip.
What does a CarCanny full report check?
CarCanny's full report checks mileage, finance, write-off and stolen, plus 14 more. All 18 checks and an AI-powered verdict.
| Check | The question it answers | In the free report? |
|---|---|---|
| Logbook match | Is it the car in the advert? | Yes |
| MOT status | When's its next MOT due? | No, full report only |
| Mileage | Clocked to hide wear? | No, full report only |
| MOT history | Bills its MOTs warned of? | No, full report only |
| Finance | Does a lender still own it? | No, full report only |
| Recall | A safety fix still due? | No, full report only |
| Write-off | Written off, worth less? | No, full report only |
| Value | Asking price too high? | No, full report only |
| For sale | Asking prices right now? | No, full report only |
| Sold | What cars like this sold for? | No, full report only |
| Demand | Do cars like it sell fast? | No, full report only |
| Stolen | Could police take it away? | No, full report only |
| Tax | Declared off the road? | No, full report only |
| Keepers | Many owners, fast? | No, full report only |
| Plate changes | A new plate hiding its past? | No, full report only |
| Scrapped | Scrapped, then sold on? | No, full report only |
| Imported | Pricier to insure and fix? | No, full report only |
| Exported | Meant to have left the UK? | No, full report only |
Every free report answers logbook match, and shows the value as a price range if you ask for it by email. If the DVLA record shows the car was scrapped, the free report tells you not to buy it. The full report answers all 18.
The verdict sums the checks up and isn't one of them. Nor are the car's details, such as its make and CO2: only the logbook match, which sets them against the V5C, counts as a check.
Where does the data for each check come from?
Each check reads one main source: the DVLA, the DVSA or vehicle data providers.
| Source | Checks |
|---|---|
| The DVLA | Logbook match, tax, scrapped and exported. |
| The DVSA | MOT status, mileage, MOT history and recall. |
| Vehicle data providers | Finance, write-off, value, for sale, sold, demand, stolen, keepers, plate changes and imported. |
The DVLA keeps the car's registration and tax record. The DVSA keeps its MOT tests, back to 2005 for cars in Great Britain, with the mileage at each one.
Which checks matter most when you buy a used car?
Mileage, finance, write-off and stolen matter most, because each can cost you the car or much of what you paid for it.
| Check | The question it answers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Mileage | Clocked to hide wear? | Clocked miles hide wear you'll pay for. |
| Finance | Does a lender still own it? | Don't pay until any finance is settled. |
| Write-off | Written off, worth less? | Can hide crash damage and cut its value. |
| Stolen | Could police take it away? | A stolen car goes back to its owner or insurer. |
CarCanny has guides on checking a car for outstanding finance, telling if it's a write-off or has been clocked, and reading its MOT history.
Who writes the verdict in a CarCanny report?
AI writes the full report's plain-English verdict from the car's records and what's generally known about the model, except for a car you shouldn't buy.
The verdict is a headline and a short summary at the top of the report, red flags first. Below it, "The verdict in full" goes further: the car's records against what's generally known about the model, what to check at the viewing, and how to challenge the asking price, using only the trade and retail figures from the report's own valuation.
- The full report's verdict is labelled "Written by CarCanny AI from this car's records and what's generally known about this model. What's known about the model isn't a check of this car." The free check's "Look out for" card is labelled "Written by CarCanny AI from what's generally known about this model. It isn't a check of this car."
- The verdict isn't expert or professional advice. It sums up the 18 checks, and the checks are the record.
- A car recorded as stolen, scrapped or written off in category A or B gets "Don't buy this car.", written by fixed rules, not AI, and no verdict in full.
- If the AI can't write the verdict, the report shows one written by fixed rules instead.
The free report has a shorter verdict, also written by AI: a headline and a sentence or two on what's generally known about the car's model.
What doesn't a car history check tell you?
A history check reads the car's records, so it can't tell you what condition the car is in today.
- See the car in daylight and test drive it.
- Match the V5C logbook to the car, and to the seller's name and address.
- Check the vehicle identification number (VIN) and engine number against the logbook, as GOV.UK advises.
- The full report says whether the DVSA records an outstanding safety recall. GOV.UK lists each campaign by model and year, and a dealer can confirm the work.
- If you're not sure about the car's condition, pay a mechanic to inspect it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a reg check free?
CarCanny's free report is. Enter the reg and it answers one of the 18 checks, logbook match, with a short AI verdict. The full report answers all 18, including the MOT status, and costs £9.99.
Is a reg check the same as a number plate check?
Yes. Both look a car up by its registration number, the number on its plates. A car history check is the same search taken further, into finance, write-offs, mileage and theft.
Does a reg check show the keeper's name?
No. CarCanny's full report shows how many keepers the car has had, but not who they were.
What does a full history check add to a free reg check?
It adds MOT status, mileage, MOT history, finance, recall, write-off, value, for sale, sold, demand, stolen, tax, keepers, plate changes, scrapped, imported and exported. All 18 checks and an AI-powered verdict.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Check a used vehicle you're buying(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle(opens in a new tab)
- Citizens Advice: Buying a used car(opens in a new tab)
The ideas for our guides come from people on our team. We use AI tools to help research, draft and edit them, and the named author reads each one before it's published.
Written by
Hubert Rachwalski
Founder and car enthusiast at CarCanny
Hubert is the founder of CarCanny and a car enthusiast. He built CarCanny as the check he wanted as a buyer: simple, clear and honest about what it does and doesn't know.
