Free Number Plate Check for Any UK Vehicle

A number plate check is a vehicle lookup that uses a UK registration number to pull the records held against that vehicle. It confirms the make, model, age, MOT, tax and mileage, so you can see whether the car matches its advert and its V5C logbook.

Every vehicle check starts from the registration, which makes a free plate check the quickest way to rule a car in or out before you travel to view it. It is also the first step of a full vehicle history report.

Enter a plate into the number plate checker and the free record comes back straight away. None of the following costs anything.

Vehicle Identity: Make, Model and Year

Confirms the vehicle the registration belongs to. Check it against the advert and the V5C logbook before anything else. If the make, model or year does not match the car in front of you, stop there.

MOT Status and Recorded Mileage

Shows whether the current MOT is valid and the mileage recorded at past tests, in order. A reading that falls between tests is the clearest early sign of a clocked car. Open the MOT history check for every test result and advisory, or the mileage check for a full mileage analysis.

Road Tax, ULEZ Status and CO2 Emissions

Shows the tax band and running costs, CO2 output and whether the vehicle meets ULEZ and clean air zone standards. The tax and MOT check shows both due dates together, and the ULEZ check covers each zone in detail.

Outstanding Safety Recalls

Flags any manufacturer safety recall still to be fixed on the vehicle. The safety recall check explains what to ask the seller or dealer.

1. Enter the registration. Type the UK number plate into the yellow plate box. Spaces are optional and there is no account to create.
2. Read the free results. Vehicle identity, MOT status, recorded mileage, tax band and ULEZ status appear straight away.
3. Unlock the paid checks. If the car is worth pursuing, confirm the make, model and year, choose a report and pay securely.

You can check number plate details on as many vehicles as you like. Comparing a shortlist? Check every car on it, then run a full report on the one you plan to buy.

The registration tells you about the car before you run any check. Knowing how to read it is the fastest way to spot a plate that does not fit the vehicle.

Current Format: Memory Tag, Age Identifier and Random Letters

Plates issued since September 2001 follow the pattern AB24 CDE. The first two letters are the memory tag, which shows the region where the vehicle was first registered: L for London, M for Manchester and Merseyside, S for Scotland and C for Wales, for example. The two numbers are the age identifier, and the last three letters are random.

Age Identifier: Find the Year From a Number Plate

New age identifiers are released twice a year. Plates issued from March to August use the last two digits of the year. Plates issued from September to February add 50.

Older Formats, Dateless and Northern Ireland Plates

• Prefix plates (1983 to 2001): the year letter comes first, as in A123 BCD.
• Suffix plates (1963 to 1983): the year letter comes last, as in ABC 123D.
• Dateless plates: letters and numbers with no year identifier, issued before 1963 and now traded as private plates.
• Northern Ireland plates: letters including I or Z, followed by up to four numbers. They carry no age identifier, which is why they are popular for hiding a car's age.
• Q plates: issued when a vehicle's age or identity cannot be confirmed, such as some kit cars and rebuilt vehicles. A Q plate calls for a full history check and an independent inspection.

Every registration a vehicle has carried stays on its record. A plate change on its own is normal. Most happen because an owner fitted a private plate, then took it off before selling, and the car went back to its original registration with a new V5C logbook.

The number plate change history check lists every previous registration and the date each change was made. It costs £3.49 on its own and is included in Full Car History. These are the patterns worth a closer look.

A Private Plate Removed Just Before the Sale

Part of the car's history sits under its old registration. The plate history links the two, so a past write-off or finance agreement recorded under the private plate is not lost.

Several Plate Changes in a Short Period

Repeated changes make a vehicle harder to trace. Ask the seller why, and check that the issue date on their V5C matches the most recent change.

A New Plate Alongside a Colour or Keeper Change

A respray and a new registration at the same time can be used to disguise a stolen or written-off car. Run the colour change history check and previous keeper check together to see the full sequence.

Car cloning is when criminals copy the registration of a genuine car of the same make, model and colour and fit it to a stolen one. The plate passes a quick look, so the details have to be checked against the vehicle itself. The RAC guide to car cloning explains how the scam works.

1. Match the record to the car. The make, model, year and colour on the plate check must match the vehicle in front of you.
2. Match the VIN. The VIN on the V5C must match the VIN on the windscreen and the chassis plate. A VIN check confirms it belongs to the registration.
3. Check for a stolen marker. A stolen car check shows whether the vehicle has been recorded as stolen.
4. Check the V5C logbook. Look for the DVL watermark, and make sure the keeper's address matches where you are viewing the car.

If the details do not add up, do not pay. Walk away and report it to the police on 101.

A free plate check reads the public vehicle record. The records that cost money are licensed, and they are the ones that carry the financial risk: outstanding finance, stolen markers and insurance write-offs.

Need one answer only? Build your own report and add individual checks, including outstanding finance, insurance write-off and car valuation. Every section is laid out in the sample car check report.

No vehicle check service can give you the registered keeper's name or address, and any site that promises to is misleading you. Keeper details are personal data held by the DVLA.

What a plate check can legally show is the ownership pattern: how many previous keepers the car has had and when it changed hands. For a buyer that is the useful part, because six keepers in four years tells its own story.

If you have a genuine reason, such as tracing the keeper after an accident or of an abandoned vehicle, you can request keeper details from the DVLA using form V888. You need to show reasonable cause.

Before You View a Used Car

Take the plate from the advert and check reg plate details before you drive anywhere. Being able to find car by registration plate records from your phone means you can do it while you read the listing. If the free result contradicts the listing, you have saved yourself a wasted trip.

Before You Pay a Deposit

This is the point where money becomes hard to get back. Run the finance, stolen and write-off checks here, or work through the full pre-purchase used car check.

When You Sell Your Car

Check your own registration and see what buyers will see. Most buyers check car license plate number details before they get in touch, so it is easier to deal with a surprise before they find it.

After a Private Plate Transfer

Confirm the record shows the new registration and matches your new V5C logbook. Records can take a few days to update after a transfer.

Every registration plate check runs on UK vehicle records. REGUP uses DVLA and DVSA source data where available, with trusted provider data for premium checks. Records can take a few days to update after a plate transfer, a new MOT or a tax renewal, so if something looks wrong, compare it with the V5C.

REGUP is an independent vehicle check service registered in Scotland (SC836719). It is not part of DVLA, DVSA or GOV.UK. Read more about REGUP.