Pre-Purchase Used Car Check (Bundle)
Pre-Purchase Used Car Check
Run a complete car history check with one registration number. View finance, stolen, write-off, salvage, mileage, keeper, import, and valuation data in a single report before you buy.
Pre-Purchase Used Car Check
A pre-purchase used car check runs every history check on one registration in a single result, so you know what is recorded against a vehicle before you hand over money.
Check the car before the money changes hands
Buying privately means the risk sits with you. There is no warranty, no return and no comeback. One registration search before you travel costs less than the fuel to get there and settles most of what you cannot see on the driveway.
What the bundle covers
- Outstanding Finance: check for recorded finance agreements that need clarification before you pay.
- Stolen Markers: check for stolen markers recorded against the registration.
- Write-Off Categories: review recorded insurance write-off categories, including A, B, S and N.
- Salvage and Recorded Damage: check available damage and salvage records, including entries with no category attached.
- Mileage History: compare recorded MOT mileage readings to spot inconsistencies.
- Keeper History: review available keeper counts and changes against the seller’s description.
- Import and Export Markers: check recorded markers that may require further paperwork or clarification.
- Market Valuation: compare the available valuation with the asking price before negotiating.
- Vehicle Identity, Specification, Tax Status and Full MOT History: review key vehicle details together before making your decision.
- Registration Identity, Make, Model, Year and VIN Information: compare available identity details with the vehicle, advert and V5C.
- MOT Status and Full MOT History: review available test results, failures and advisories before arranging a viewing.
- Number Plate Change History: review recorded registration changes against the vehicle’s paperwork.
- Colour-Change Details: compare recorded colour changes with the car’s appearance and documents.
- Scrapped Vehicle Indicators: check for a recorded scrapped marker before proceeding with the purchase.
- Vehicle Specification: compare available engine, fuel, dimensions and performance details with the advert.
- Emissions Information: review available CO2 and emissions details for the vehicle.
- Fuel Economy and MPG Information: compare available fuel economy figures when considering running costs.
- Available Insurance Group: review the recorded group before obtaining an insurance quote.
- Road-Tax Status and Running-Cost Context: review available tax status and road-tax estimates when planning your budget.
What each check is protecting you from
- Finance: you pay in full, and the finance company still owns the car. They can repossess it and you have no claim on the seller.
- Stolen: the police seize the vehicle. You lose the car and the money, and recovering either is unlikely.
- Write-off and salvage: you pay clean-car money for a repaired total loss, then discover it when you try to sell or insure it.
- Mileage: you pay for a 60,000 mile car that has covered 130,000. Everything wears at the higher number, not the one on the dash.
- Keeper history: a car sold as one careful owner that has had five in three years, which usually means something.
- Import and export: a registration problem you inherit and then have to unwind with paperwork.
What the report cannot do
No data check has seen the car. It cannot tell you whether the clutch is tired, whether the repair was done properly, or whether the service history in the folder belongs to that vehicle.
The report is there to stop you wasting a viewing on a car that was never worth seeing, and to tell you exactly what to examine on the ones that are. On anything significant, still get an independent inspection.
How to use the report at the viewing
- Run the check before you travel. Anything that comes back against finance, stolen or export ends it there, and you have saved the journey.
- Take the mileage readings with you. Compare each recorded MOT figure against the service book and the dashboard, in order.
- Match the identity. Check the VIN on the car against the VIN in the report, and check the V5C matches both.
- Use any damage or write-off entry as your inspection list. Look at those areas specifically rather than glancing over the whole car.
- Negotiate on what is recorded, not on what you feel. A damage entry or a short MOT is a number, and a number is easier to argue.
What to do when something comes back against the car
- Outstanding finance: do not pay the seller. The debt has to be settled and the settlement confirmed by the finance company before any money moves, and the safest route is walking away.
- Stolen marker: walk away and do not arrange to meet again. Report it rather than negotiating.
- Write-off or salvage entry: ask for the repair invoices and the inspection paperwork. No paperwork means you are paying for a repair nobody can account for.
- Mileage discrepancy: ask the seller directly, then check the MOT dates around the gap. A clerical error at one test looks different from a reading that drops and stays down.
- Export marker: stop until the seller explains it. There is no version of this that is your problem to solve after paying.
Missing fields show as Not available
Where a field cannot be returned, the report says Not available rather than showing a blank as a clear result. That distinction matters most on the checks you are relying on, so read the wording rather than the absence of a warning.
Free data and paid data
Vehicle identity, tax status, MOT history and the mileage readings taken from MOT tests are available at no cost through the free car check. Finance, stolen, write-off, salvage, keeper and valuation data sit inside the paid report, because those records are licensed rather than public.
Why buyers use the paid report
The free check gives you useful basic information about a vehicle. The paid report adds the records buyers often need before making a serious decision, including finance, stolen, write-off, salvage, keeper and valuation data.
Use the report before travelling, leaving a deposit or agreeing a final price. It can help you decide whether the car is worth viewing and give you specific questions to ask the seller.
Run it on every car on your shortlist
Most buyers check the car they have already decided to buy. Checking all three on the shortlist is where the money is saved, because it usually changes the order.
Pre-Purchase Used Car Check (Bundle) FAQs
Is this a mechanical inspection?
No. It is a bundled data report. Arrange a test drive and independent physical inspection to assess current condition and repair quality.
Does the bundle guarantee a problem-free car?
No. It reports available records. Unreported events, missing data and current mechanical faults may still exist.
What happens when a field is missing?
The relevant datapoint shows Not available. REGUP does not turn missing provider data into a clear result.
Does this create a new bundle price?
No. The page routes to the existing Full Car History plan and its established checkout and provider flow.
What does a pre-purchase car check include?
Finance, stolen, write-off, salvage and damage, mileage, keeper history, import and export markers, valuation, vehicle identity, specification, tax status and full MOT history, returned on one registration.
When should I run the check?
Before you travel to view. A result against finance, stolen or export ends the purchase, and finding that out at the roadside has already cost you the journey.
Can I check a car I do not own?
Yes. Vehicle record data is not personal data, so you can run the check on any UK registration. What you cannot see is who the keeper is by name.
Does a clear report mean the car is in good condition?
No. The report covers what is recorded against the vehicle, not its mechanical state. It tells you what to inspect, and it does not replace an inspection.
What happens if a field says Not available?
That field could not be returned for that registration. It is not a clear result, and it should be treated as an open question rather than a pass.
Is anything in the check free?
Yes. Vehicle identity, tax status, MOT history and mileage from MOT readings are free. Finance, stolen, write-off, salvage, keeper and valuation data are licensed and sit inside the paid report.
Check the car before the money changes hands
Review the full available history, compare the documents and arrange an independent inspection before completing the purchase.