Short answer: You do not need to spend £19.99 on a car history check. In 2026, multiple providers offer the same core stolen, finance, and write-off data for a fraction of the price. CarCostCheck at £4.99 offers the best overall value, combining Experian-sourced provenance checks with free MOT analysis, running costs, and reliability scoring that most competitors charge extra for or do not include at all.
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The Full Price Comparison
Here is what every major UK car check provider charges in 2026, along with what you actually get at each price point:
| Provider | Price | Stolen | Finance | Write-off | MOT History | Running Costs | Reliability Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarVertical | £33.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| HPI | £19.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AA Car Check | £9.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| RAC Car Passport | £9.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Total Car Check (Gold) | £9.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MyCarCheck | £4.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CarCostCheck | £4.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Total Car Check (Basic) | £1.99 | ✗ | ✗ | Limited | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CarCostCheck (Free) | Free | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The pattern is clear. Most providers charge between £9.99 and £33.99 for essentially the same Experian data: stolen, finance, and write-off checks. None of them include MOT history analysis, running cost breakdowns, or reliability scoring. CarCostCheck is the only service at £4.99 that bundles provenance checks with practical ownership data.
What the Budget Options Actually Include
Let's be specific about what you get at each tier, because the marketing can be misleading.
Total Car Check at £1.99: This is their "Basic" report. It includes vehicle details (make, model, colour, engine size), keeper count, scrapped status, and a basic MOT due date. It does not check for outstanding finance, stolen status, or detailed write-off categories. If you are buying a used car from a private seller, this level of check is not sufficient.
MyCarCheck at £4.99: A solid mid-range option. It covers stolen, finance, write-off (with category detail), mileage anomaly flagging, and plate changes. It does not analyse MOT history or provide running cost estimates. Good for provenance, but you will need to check MOT history separately on the DVSA website yourself.
CarCostCheck at £4.99: The premium report matches MyCarCheck on provenance (stolen, finance, write-off, VIN, keepers) and then adds everything from the free tier: full MOT analysis, repair cost predictions, reliability scoring, fuel and tax costs, insurance group data, DVSA recall checks, and common faults. It is the only service at this price that gives you both the "is this car safe to buy?" checks and the "will this car cost me a fortune to run?" analysis in one report.
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Why Are Some Providers So Much More Expensive?
The honest answer is brand positioning. HPI at £19.99 and CarVertical at £33.99 are not accessing better data than providers charging £4.99. They all query the same Experian databases for UK vehicle history. The price difference comes down to marketing spend, brand recognition, and what the market will bear.
CarVertical does have one genuine differentiator: European vehicle history for imported cars. If you are looking at a car that was originally registered in Germany, France, or another EU country, CarVertical can sometimes pull cross-border history that UK-only providers cannot. For a standard UK-registered car, that feature is irrelevant, making it hard to justify the £33.99 price tag.
HPI trades on its guarantee and its name. The HPI brand has been around since 1938, and many buyers still assume "HPI check" is a specific product rather than a generic term. Dealers and sellers sometimes specify an "HPI check" without realising that other providers offer the same data.
The Best Strategy for Used Car Buyers
Here is what we recommend if you are buying a used car in 2026:
- Start with a free check. Enter the reg plate on CarCostCheck and review the MOT history, reliability score, and running costs. This alone will tell you whether the car is worth pursuing further.
- Run the premium check before committing. If the free check looks good, the £4.99 premium report will confirm whether the car has finance, has been stolen, or has been written off. Combined with the free data, this gives you a more complete picture than any single competitor report.
- Check for recalls. The free CarCostCheck report includes DVSA recall data. Make sure any outstanding recalls have been addressed.
- Use the running cost data to negotiate. If the car has a history of expensive advisories or sits in a high insurance group, that is leverage in a price negotiation. Paid services that only show provenance data do not give you this.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes CarCostCheck Different
CarCostCheck is not just a cheaper version of HPI. It is a fundamentally better product that happens to cost 75% less. Here is what you get that HPI does not offer at any price:
- Real-time market valuation from £2.99, powered by over 650,000 live UK dealer listings. See what your car is actually worth in your local area, how quickly similar cars sell, and how the price compares nationally.
- Estimated vehicle lifespan: Our AI model analyses over 100 million data points to predict how many years the car has left and the probability of it 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.
- Health score (0-100): A single number that tells you the overall condition of the vehicle based on MOT history, advisory patterns, mileage consistency, and maintenance trends.
- Common faults: Known issues for this exact make and model, drawn from real MOT failure data across thousands of vehicles.
- 12 free checks: Full MOT history, mileage verification, reliability score, running costs, fuel costs, insurance group, red flag alerts, common faults, recall check, ULEZ compliance, and more. All before you pay a penny.
The premium history check (£4.99) uses the same Experian database as HPI, AA, and RAC. You get identical stolen, finance, and write-off data. The complete bundle (history + valuation) is £6.99, still 65% cheaper than HPI's basic check.
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12 checks included free. Premium stolen, finance, and write-off checks for just £4.99. Market valuation from £2.99.