CarCanny vs vCheck: which car history check should you use?
vCheck sells three tiers of check, from a few pounds up. We ran its checks on three test cars to see what each finds, and set them against CarCanny's full report, as things stood on 1 October 2026.
By Michał Żelazko
Car enthusiast
Updated
First published
Quick answer
As of 1 October 2026, vCheck sells three tiers from £2.99 to £9.99, and its Full check comes with a £40,000 data guarantee. In our tests it found salvage auction photos and flagged dangerous MOT defects. CarCanny's full report explains each result in plain English and includes a valuation, but has no data guarantee.
Key takeaways
- Prices for vCheck start at £2.99, and only its £9.99 Full check comes with the £40,000 data guarantee.
- In our tests, vCheck was the only check that found the salvage auction, with photos of the damaged car.
- CarCanny's full report explains each result in plain English, while vCheck shows results as pass or fail.
See what CarCanny finds on the car you're looking at.
How do CarCanny and vCheck compare?
Both cover the key UK records. vCheck adds salvage auction photos and a guarantee on its Full check, while CarCanny explains each result and shows a free preview first.
| Feature | CarCanny | vCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free report, then £9.99 for the full report, or £19.99 for 3 | Initial £2.99, Basic £4.99, Full £9.99 |
| Stolen | Yes | From the Basic check |
| Insurance write-off and category | Yes | From the Basic check |
| Scrapped | Yes | Yes |
| Salvage auction history | No | Yes, with photos, from the Initial check |
| Full MOT history | Every test, with defects marked by severity | Every test, with dangerous defects flagged |
| Mileage check | Every MOT reading, checked for clocking | From MOT readings |
| Valuation | Trade-in and dealer prices | 9 price points, based on an assumed mileage |
| Ex-taxi or police use | No | Yes |
| How results are shown | Each result explained in plain English, plus an overall verdict | Pass or fail, without explanation |
| Safety recalls | Not checked | Not checked |
| If the report is wrong | Fixed or refunded if it's wrong | £40,000 data guarantee on the Full check |
How much does a vCheck report cost?
vCheck has three tiers, and each one adds checks to the one below. The data guarantee comes only with the Full check.
| vCheck tier | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Initial | £2.99 | Vehicle details, salvage auction history and an ex-taxi search |
| Basic | £4.99 | Police stolen and write-off checks |
| Full | £9.99 | The full check, with a £40,000 data guarantee |
CarCanny has a free report, then a full report at £9.99 for one car or £19.99 for a 3-pack, with no subscription. vCheck's Full check comes with a data guarantee and CarCanny's full report doesn't, but CarCanny explains each result in plain English.
What did vCheck find on our test cars?
vCheck found more about the written-off car than any other check we tried, but explained less.
- Found: the write-off, the scrapping and the salvage auction on the 2008 car, with 4 photos from the auction.
- Found: all 20 MOT tests on the 2008 car, with a dangerous defect clearly flagged.
- Missed: the mileage of the electric car, which is too new to have had an MOT.
- Assumed: a mileage for its valuation, rather than using the car's real reading.
- Not checked: safety recalls.
- Shown as pass or fail: results came without an explanation of what they mean for you.
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.
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.
Which car check should you choose?
Choose on how much you want to spend first, and how much explanation you need.
| If you want | Choose |
|---|---|
| The cheapest paid first look | vCheck Initial |
| Photos of a written-off car from a salvage auction | vCheck |
| A data guarantee | vCheck Full |
| Each result explained in plain English | CarCanny |
| A free preview before you pay | CarCanny |
Frequently asked questions
How much is a vCheck report?
As of 1 October 2026, vCheck's Initial check costs £2.99, the Basic check £4.99 and the Full check £9.99. Only the Full check comes with the £40,000 data guarantee.
Is vCheck's Basic check enough?
It adds police stolen and write-off checks to the Initial check, but it doesn't come with the data guarantee. Check what each tier includes before you pay.
Does vCheck show salvage auction photos?
Yes. On our written-off test car, vCheck found the salvage auction and showed 4 photos of the damaged car. None of the other checks we tested found the auction with photos.
Can I see a car's MOT history for free?
Yes. GOV.UK shows every MOT test, its mileage and any advisories for free. Paid checks add the finance, theft and write-off records that GOV.UK doesn't show.
Sources
- vCheck(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Check the MOT history of a vehicle(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Check a used vehicle you're buying(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
Michał Żelazko
Car enthusiast at CarCanny
Michał works at vlayer, the company behind CarCanny, and is a motoring fan after hours.
