What to check before buying a used car

Check the MOT and DVLA records before you travel

All three of these need only the registration number, and you can run them before you reply to the advert. Ask the seller for the registration, the make, the model and the MOT test number, which is what GOV.UK tells you to ask for.

The MOT history is the record that says most about how the car has been kept. It lists every test result, the mileage recorded at each test and, for tests in Great Britain, what failed and what was noted as a minor defect or advisory. Read the mileages in date order: they should only go up. A reading lower than the one before, or a string of the same advisory ignored year after year, is a question to put to the seller before you spend an afternoon travelling.

The DVLA vehicle enquiry shows the tax position, first registration, latest log book issue date and registered vehicle characteristics, including fuel and emissions information. Compare these with the advert and use the relevant tax table to establish the rate. A claimed model year can differ from registration or manufacture, so ask the seller to explain any discrepancy before travelling rather than assuming the dates mean the same thing.

The DVSA recall check tells you whether the manufacturer has recalled the vehicle over a serious safety problem, and shows which recalls have not been checked or fixed. For a car, the registration number is enough.

• DVLA vehicle enquiry: free, no sign-in, returns tax status and expiry, first registration date, last V5C issue date, engine size, fuel and CO2.
• DVSA recall check: free, shows recalls the manufacturer has issued and whether they are outstanding.
• MOT history: free, shows results back to 2005 for cars with the recorded mileage, failures and advisories.
• What none of them return: the current keeper's name and address. You have to write to DVLA for that, and you need a reason.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Check the V5C before inspecting the bodywork

Ask for the V5C before you look at the car. GOV.UK is direct about this: you should not buy a vehicle that does not have one. If the seller says it is in the post, the sensible answer is that you will come back when it arrives.

Check the serial number. If it falls in BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000, the V5C might be stolen and GOV.UK says to contact the police when safe. Then examine the registered keeper's name and address. If the seller is someone else, establish their authority to sell: a dealer's stock or an authorised sale for a relative can be legitimate, but needs an explanation supported by evidence.

Then match the document to the metal. The vehicle identification number is stamped on the car itself, usually visible through the base of the windscreen and repeated on a plate in the door aperture or under the bonnet. It has to match the V5C character for character. Look at the stamping itself as well as the digits: scratches, filler, mismatched fonts and a rivet that does not match the others are worth more than the number.

Cross-check the date the log book was last issued, which the DVLA enquiry gives you free. A recently issued log book can reflect an ordinary replacement or address change. Ask the seller why it was issued and check their explanation against the document; the date alone neither proves nor excludes cloning.

• V5C serial in BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000: call the police.
• Compare the keeper details with the seller and viewing address, and establish authority where someone else is selling.
• Vehicle identification number on the car must match the V5C exactly, and the stamping must look untouched.
• Recent log book issue date on a car being sold quickly needs an explanation you believe.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Inspect the car in an order that exposes faults quickly

Ask to inspect and start the engine from cold, because some symptoms change as it warms. If it is already warm, ask why and consider another visit. Check fluid levels using the manufacturer's procedure, never open a hot pressurised coolant system, and ask an inspector to assess unusual noises, smoke or warning lights.

Check the tyres before considering a drive. Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 requires at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three quarters of the tread width around the entire circumference. Uneven wear can warrant an alignment or suspension assessment, but it is not a diagnosis by itself. Ask an inspector to check the tyres' specification and condition if anything looks inconsistent.

Then the parts of the car that decide the size of the next bill. Kneel down and look along the sills and the rear arches for bubbling under the paint. Look under the boot floor and the bonnet for ripples, fresh underseal or paint overspray on rubber seals, all of which mean repaired accident damage. Put every electrical item through its cycle, including the air conditioning, the windows, the heated seats and the tailgate. Turn the ignition on and check the warning lamps light and then go out, because a bulb that never lights has often been removed to hide a fault.

Agree a lawful test route that lets you assess the steering, brakes and gearbox under ordinary driving conditions. Confirm that you are insured before driving. Listen for a knock over a bump or a gearchange that hesitates, and ask a professional to investigate concerns rather than attempting emergency manoeuvres on a public road. Turn the radio off so you can hear the car.

• Cold start, engine off before you arrive. Refuse a warm car and come back.
• Tread at least 1.6mm across the central three quarters, all the way round, with even wear.
• Sills, arches, boot floor, bonnet shut lines and seals for corrosion or repair.
• Every electrical item, and every warning lamp lighting then going out.
• Insured test drive on a suitable route, normal braking and steering checks, radio off.

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Which risks does each check rule out?

The DVLA record checks the advert's vehicle details, the recall service identifies unresolved manufacturer safety faults, and the V5C, identification number and seller checks reveal identity mismatches. A physical inspection looks for problems with the car's condition.

The DVLA enquiry can reveal a description that conflicts with the registered details. The recall check can flag manufacturer safety work. Comparing the V5C and identification numbers can expose an identity mismatch. None is a guarantee: a convincing clone can match a genuine record, and a recall database cannot reveal every mechanical fault.

The physical inspection rules out nothing. It finds things, which is a different job, and the one part of the list where paying a professional usually beats the fee.

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Free checks first, then pay for missing records

Two of the checks are free, permanently and without a sign-up: the DVLA vehicle enquiry and the DVSA recall check. Nobody should charge you for those and any site that does is reselling a free government service.

A paid provenance check is the only way to reach outstanding finance, insurance write-off records and stolen markers. HPI listed its full check at £19.99 on the day this guide was written. That is a commercial price set by a commercial company, not a government fee, and the providers change them, so treat it as an order of magnitude rather than a quote.

If the seller has lost the log book, a replacement V5C costs £25, and registering a vehicle in your name without one using form V62 also costs £25. A pre-purchase inspection is the one cost here that nobody publishes centrally, so ask for the price in writing and check whether it includes a road test and a report you can show the seller.

• DVLA vehicle enquiry and DVSA recall check: free.
• Paid provenance check for finance, write-off and stolen markers: £19.99 for the HPI full check when checked on 30 July 2026.
• Replacement V5C, or registering the car with a V62 because there is no V5C: £25 each.
• Independent pre-purchase inspection: priced by the provider, no published national figure.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Finance, write-off and theft records are not public

Four things decide a used car purchase and none of them are in public data. Whether money is still owed on it. Whether an insurer has already declared it a total loss. Whether it is recorded as stolen. Whether the log book in your hand is genuine.

The first three sit on registers that only paid providers can query. The fourth is the one you can do yourself, for nothing, in the two minutes it takes to read a document properly against the car parked behind it.

This matters more in a private sale, because under section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 the implied term about satisfactory quality applies to business sales. A private seller must still have the right to sell and meet the description given. A low price does not solve doubtful ownership or turn an inaccurate description into a sound purchase.

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In what order should you check a used car?

Treat a viewing as a sequence of decisions. You are deciding whether to travel, whether to inspect, whether to commission further checks and finally whether to pay. Spending money on a mechanical inspection before discovering that the seller cannot produce the log book reverses that order. Equally, a beautifully presented folder should not persuade you to overlook a warning from the car itself.

Save the advert and written answers before the viewing. Record what was claimed about mileage, accident history, servicing, keys and faults. Ask the seller to identify anything that will be excluded from the sale, such as a private registration or charging cable. These details belong in the agreement because a photograph of the car does not settle what accessories or promises were included.

1. 1Before travelling, obtain the registration and compare the advert with DVLA, the MOT history and the recall result. Save the records with the date you checked them.
2. 2At the viewing, inspect the original V5C, identify the seller and compare the VIN and engine details with the vehicle. Resolve any mismatch before continuing.
3. 3Inspect the car while stationary, then arrange an insured test drive if it is safe. Commission an independent inspection where you cannot judge an issue yourself.
4. 4Obtain the missing provenance records and investigate every finance, theft or write-off marker with the relevant organisation. Keep the report and its terms.
5. 5Agree the price and any repairs in writing. Complete the sale record, keeper notification, insurance and your own vehicle tax before driving away.

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Does a valid MOT mean the tyres are legal?

Read an MOT advisory as a question for the seller. An invoice can show that a tyre, brake component or suspension joint was replaced after the test, but the absence of an invoice does not show that it was. Ask an inspector to check the relevant component now. A pass describes the test result at that time and cannot guarantee what happened during subsequent use.

Tyre condition illustrates the distinction. Tread depth is measurable, while cracking, bulges and exposed cord require a separate condition check. Inspect across the relevant width and around the tyre, because a visible patch at the top of the wheel does not represent the full circumference. Do not crawl beneath an unsupported car or remove parts to complete a viewing inspection.

Should you buy a car without a V5C?

The replacement document fee is a small part of the problem. Without the original log book you lose the normal opportunity to inspect its security features and to take the new keeper slip for taxing the vehicle. A seller's explanation that the paperwork is merely inconvenient does not restore those checks. GOV.UK advises against buying a vehicle without a V5C.

If the seller is a dealer, ask who owns the vehicle and who will appear as the contracting seller on the invoice. Dealers do not normally need to register stock in their own name, so a previous keeper on the V5C is not automatically suspicious. The meaningful check is whether the business can account for the car and has authority to sell it. A private intermediary needs an equally clear explanation.

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What does a write-off category mean for a used car?

A recorded insurance write-off needs its own evidence. A category describes an insurer's classification and does not tell you whether the repairs were competent or what damage remains. Ask for the original damage description, repair photographs, invoices and an independent assessment. Make the insurer aware of the vehicle's history when arranging cover and check whether the proposed policy meets your needs.

Categories S and N may return to the road after suitable repairs to a roadworthy condition; category N does not mean that every affected component was cosmetic. Safety equipment and other non-structural components can still require substantial work. Categories A and B do not permit the complete vehicle to return to the road. A clean current appearance cannot change that classification.

If repairs were promised before collection, make them a written condition of the deal and ask for evidence at handover. A vague assurance that a fault will be looked at leaves the result undefined. Record the odometer, supplied keys and agreed accessories on the receipt, and retain the advert, inspection report and payment evidence together so that your purchase file tells a consistent story.