If you are checking several cars, the best packs we found bring the price down to £2.50 to £3.00 a check, but you pay for 5 to 80 checks up front to get there. Every pack below is for a check that includes outstanding finance.
| Provider | Smallest pack | Best consumer pack | Notes |
|---|
| MyCarCheck (Comprehensive) | 2 for £9.99 (£5.00 each) | 80 for £199.99 (£2.50 each) | 10 for £34.99 (£3.50), 20 for £59.99 (£3.00); with a free pro account, 20 for £49.99 (£2.50) |
| Full Car Checks (Full Check) | 3 for £14.99 (£4.99 each) | 20 for £60.00 (£3.00 each) | 5 for £19.99, 10 for £33.60; no expiry |
| PlateInsight | 3 for £9.99 (£3.33 each) | Same | Unused checks saved for 12 months; optional Pro plan £9.99 a month |
| Experian AutoCheck | 5 for £16.99 (£3.40 each) | Same | Use within 365 days; £30,000 guarantee |
| MotorCheck | 3 for £14.99 (£4.99 each) | 5 for £19.99 (£3.99 each) | £30,000 guarantee for non-trade users |
| Total Car Check Gold | 3 for £14.99 (£4.99 each) | 5 for £19.99 (£3.99 each) | 20 for £64.99 with a free sign-up |
| CarCostCheck (multi-car order) | 2 cars £9.48 (£4.74 each) | 5 cars £21.48 (£4.30 each) | 3 cars £13.48 (£4.49 each). 5 cars: £4.99 + £4.49 + 3 x £4.00. Side-by-side comparison free |
| Car Analytics | 3 for £19.99 (£6.66 each) | 5 for £29.99 (£6.00 each) | Bulk packs of 20, 50 or 100 from £2.70 a check |
| AA | 5 at £6 each (£30) | Same | |
| Green Flag | 3 for £19.99 (£6.66 each) | 5 for £29.99 (£6.00 each) | |
| The Auto Experts | 3 for £22.99 (£7.66 each) | 5 for £29.99 (£6.00 each) | Trade: 50 for £149.99 (£3.00 each) |
| Carpeep | 3 for £35 (£11.67 each) | Same | |
| carVertical | 2 for £51.98 (£25.99 each) | 3 for £62.97 (£20.99 each) | |
Two packs we could not price per check: RAC's Multi Check costs £29.97, but the page we read does not say how many checks it includes, and CheckCarDetails' Multi Check is three Full Checks with no price shown. DealerPricing sells no packs; its £2.50 checks are for motor traders on a plan at £70 a month. Rooster lists no packs.
At CarCostCheck you add up to 5 cars to one order, and each extra car costs less: £4.99 for the first, £4.49 for the second and £4.00 for each one after that. Here is a sample of what you get when you check several cars in one order.
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Most of the checks we priced are one-off payments, but one low headline price is a trial that renews.
- CarVerify+: £4.99 buys a 7-day trial. In CarVerify's words: "After the trial it's £9.99 every 4 weeks unless cancelled." Members then pay £4.99 for each extra check. If you want one check with nothing to cancel, CarVerify's Single Check is £14.99, paid once.
- Vehicle Smart Premium: £9.99 a year or £39.99 for life, for 25% off its checks (up to 50% with bundles). The check price itself is shown only in the app.
- PlateInsight Pro: an optional website plan at £9.99 a month, with one full report a month included and other reports at £2.49. Its £4.99 report is pay-per-report, with no sign-up.
- DealerPricing trade plan: £70 a month (£35 for the first month) for £2.50 checks. The plan is for motor traders; the one-off check is £3.99.
MyCarCheck, Full Car Checks, Carpeep, CarCostCheck and CarVerify's Single Check all say there is no subscription. If a price looks low, check whether it buys one check or starts a plan.
CarCostCheck's full history check for £4.99 is a one-off payment that covers 12 checks, and the MOT history, mileage check and running costs come free in the same report.
- Outstanding finance check: any agreement still on the car (PCP, HP or loan), with the lender, agreement type, start and end dates, agreement number and the number to call to settle it.
- Stolen car check: checked against the Police National Computer, with the date reported and a police contact if the car is stolen.
- Write-off check: Cat A, B, N or S, with the date, cause, damage and insurer.
- Previous owners check: how many keepers, the date of each recorded change of keeper and how long each new keeper had the car.
- Identity: the last 4 characters of the VIN on record (the last 2 for rare models) and the engine number, to match against the car and the V5C.
- Changes and markers: plate transfers and colour changes, with dates where recorded, import and export markers, scrapped status, DVLA identity checks and how many times the car has been checked before.
- Free in every report: MOT history explained, a mileage check against every MOT reading, a reliability score out of 100, running costs with predicted repairs, recalls, ULEZ, and tax and MOT status.
What it does not include: a data guarantee, because CarCostCheck does not offer one, or a valuation, which is £2.99 extra or £6.99 with the history check. The report appears on screen as soon as you pay, you get an emailed link that does not expire, and you can download the history check as a PDF. You can see a sample report first, and all our prices are on one page.
Where Other Checks Include More
- Data guarantees: Autotrader (£6.95), Experian AutoCheck (£7.99), Green Flag, MotorCheck and Total Car Check Gold (all £9.99), and the AA, CarVerify and RAC's Full Check (all £14.99) state a £30,000 guarantee, each on its own terms. Full Car Checks and Car Analytics offer £10,000. Carpeep ended its £30,000 guarantee for reports from 22 October 2026 and now refunds a report it cannot produce. CarCostCheck offers none.
- Valuation in the price: PlateInsight and Rooster (£4.99), Car Reg Checks' Full Check (£6.99), MyCarCheck Comprehensive (£8.49), Full Car Checks, Green Flag, MotorCheck and Total Car Check Gold (£9.99), CarVerify (£14.99) and carVertical (£39.99).
- Running costs and MOT outlook: Rooster's free check lists running costs and the chance of passing the next MOT, and PlateInsight's free check shows a health score. RAC's Full Check includes a total cost of ownership estimate, CarVerify and MotorCheck list running costs, and MyCarCheck Comprehensive lists running-cost indicators.
- Keeper change dates: DealerPricing (change dates), Car Reg Checks (acquired and sold dates), CarVerify (when each keeper acquired and disposed of the car), and Carpeep, Green Flag and MotorCheck (how long each keeper had it). Autotrader shows the last change.
- VIN: CarVerify verifies the full 17-digit VIN and Carpeep shows the last 5; CarCostCheck shows the last 4.
There is no single best buy: it depends on whether you want the lowest price, a guarantee, several checks or the most in one report. All prices were checked on 24 October 2026.
- Lowest price with finance: DealerPricing, £3.99. It states no data guarantee, its valuation is for trade subscribers only, and reports are stored for six months, so download the PDF.
- Cheapest single check with a stated £30,000 guarantee: Autotrader, £6.95. It shows the date of the last keeper change only.
- Several cars: CarCostCheck takes up to 5 cars in one order (5 for £21.48) with a side-by-side comparison included. Experian AutoCheck's 5 for £16.99 (£3.40 each) comes with a £30,000 guarantee.
- History, running costs and a reliability score in one report: CarCostCheck, £4.99. Rooster, also £4.99, shows running costs and the chance of passing the next MOT.
- Full keeper timeline and full VIN check: CarVerify's Single Check, £14.99, with a £30,000 guarantee.
For the wider view, with guarantees and features weighed alongside price, read our guide to the best car check in the UK and our car history check comparison. We have also reviewed Total Car Check, carVertical, MyCarCheck, the RAC, Green Flag, Autotrader and CheckCarDetails.
Why Do Car History Check Prices Run From £3.99 to £39.99?
The core records behind a UK history check are shared, so the price gap comes mostly from where the finance data comes from, guarantees, extras and brand.
Stolen records come from the Police National Computer and write-offs from MIAFTR, the insurers' register, while MOT history comes from the DVSA and vehicle details from the DVLA. Finance data can differ, because lenders register agreements on more than one register. CarCostCheck's history check uses Experian AutoCheck data, which includes finance agreements registered by lenders. We go into more detail in do cheap checks use the same data as dearer ones.
Higher up the price range you pay for a £30,000 data guarantee (from £6.95 at Autotrader), a valuation, fuller keeper timelines and a well-known name: the AA's check and the RAC's Full Check both cost £14.99. At the top, carVertical charges £39.99 for one report, which includes a market value; it offers a report return guarantee rather than a data guarantee.
So paying more does not always buy more. Compare what each check lists, decide whether a guarantee is worth a few pounds to you, and do not pay for MOT and mileage history that you can see free.
How to Get the Cheapest Car History Check That Is Still Useful
Use the free checks to rule cars out, and pay only for the car you are about to buy.
- Run a free check first. Our free car history check shows the MOT history, a mileage check, a reliability score and running costs, and GOV.UK's MOT history service is free too. Here is what a free car check can and cannot show.
- Rule the car out on the free data. Repeated MOT failures, a mileage reading that goes backwards or high running costs are reasons to walk away before you spend anything.
- Buy one check with finance before you hand over a deposit. Make sure it covers outstanding finance, stolen and write-off. Ours is the £4.99 history check, offered on the free report page and paid once; DealerPricing's £3.99 check covers all three as well.
- Match the car to the report. Check that the VIN on the car and on the V5C logbook matches the report.
- Buy a pack only if you will check three or more cars.
Looking for a code instead? See what each provider's own website showed in our guide to car check discount codes.
We read each provider's own price and product pages on 24 October 2026, between 19:42 and 20:05 UK time, and recorded the price and what each check lists. We did not search any registrations, sign up or buy anything, so prices shown only inside a reg search or an app are not in the tables.
- "Includes outstanding finance" means the provider's page lists an outstanding finance check in that product. RAC's Basic Check shows a debt flag only, so it is marked that way.
- "Not stated" means the pages we read did not say. It does not mean the check leaves that item out.
- Left out because we could not verify them: Vehicle Smart's check price (shown only in its app), CheckCarDetails' Basic and Gold checks (no price on its public pages), Instant Car Check's finance add-on (priced after a reg search) and the number of checks in RAC's Multi Check.
- Our interest: CarCostCheck sells one of the checks in this comparison, which is why we show where rivals are cheaper or include more. To find out more about us, read is CarCostCheck legit?
Sources
- Each provider's own price and product pages, read on 24 October 2026: DealerPricing, Car Reg Checks, CarCostCheck, PlateInsight, Rooster, Autotrader, Experian AutoCheck, MyCarCheck, the RAC, Full Car Checks, Green Flag, MotorCheck, Total Car Check, Car Analytics, CheckCarDetails, The Auto Experts, the AA, CarVerify, Carpeep, carVertical, Instant Car Check and Vehicle Smart.
- The DVSA's MOT history service on GOV.UK: free MOT results and the mileage recorded at each test.
- The DVLA's vehicle enquiry service on GOV.UK: free tax and MOT status and basic vehicle details.
- The Police National Computer holds stolen vehicle markers, and MIAFTR is the insurance industry's register of written-off vehicles. History checks report what these registers hold.
As well as the history check, CarCostCheck helps you judge whether a car will be a good one to own. Here is what it includes:
- Market valuation from £2.99, based on live UK dealer listings. See the local dealer value for your car and how quickly similar cars sell near you.
- Estimated vehicle lifespan: An estimate of how many years the car has left on UK roads and the probability of it still being on the road in 12 months.
- Insurance costs by age: See estimated annual premiums for drivers aged 20, 30, 40, and 50. Budget before you buy.
- Running cost breakdown: Annual fuel, road tax, MOT, predicted repairs, and total cost per month. All calculated for this specific car.
- Reliability score (0-100): one number based on the car's MOT record, including its pass rate, recent failures, advisory trend and mileage. Free.
- Common faults: the problems that keep coming up in the car's own MOT history. Free.
- 16 free checks: Full MOT history with every item explained, MOT repair cost estimates, mileage history with a clocking check, reliability score, red flag alerts, MOT and tax status, running costs, fuel costs, costs against a UK benchmark, common faults, an estimated value range, safety recalls, ULEZ and clean air zones, CO2 and road tax band, the export marker and logbook date, and the vehicle details. All before you pay a penny.
The premium history check (£4.99) uses Experian AutoCheck data and covers stolen, outstanding finance and write-off. The complete bundle (history + valuation) is £6.99.
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12 checks included free. Premium stolen, finance, and write-off checks for just £4.99. Market valuation from £2.99.
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