How Much Does a Car Check Cost in the UK? (2026 Prices)

Short answer: A car history check that covers stolen, outstanding finance and write-off costs from under £5 to about £20 in the UK, and carVertical's premium report costs £39.99. CarCostCheck charges £4.99 with finance included, and its free report adds MOT history, mileage, reliability and running costs. Price differences come mainly from brand, guarantees and extras, and the finance data is not identical everywhere, because finance registers are separate.

What You Get at Each Price Point

Free (CarCostCheck Free Tier)

A detailed free check: full MOT history, a mileage check with clocking detection, a reliability score, a running-cost estimate (fuel, road tax, MOT and predicted repairs), common faults, recalls, ULEZ and tax. No payment and no sign-up needed.

This is enough to screen cars before viewing. If the mileage does not add up, the reliability is poor, or the running costs are higher than expected, you know not to waste time on this car.

£3.99 to £4.99: check whether finance is included

The cheapest tiers vary most. Total Car Check Silver (£3.99) and MyCarCheck Basic (£4.99) do not include outstanding finance. CarCostCheck's £4.99 history check does, with the lender, agreement type, start date and term, plus stolen, write-off details, the date of each recorded keeper change, plate and colour history, and import, export and scrapped markers. It also comes with everything in the free report.

£8.49 to £10.99: mid-priced checks

MyCarCheck Comprehensive (£8.49), Total Car Check Gold (£9.99) and CheckCarDetails Full Check (£10.99) include finance. RAC Basic (£9.98) flags finance but gives no agreement details. CarCostCheck's £4.99 check gives you those details for about half the price.

£14.99 (AA and RAC Full)

The AA's check comes with a £30,000 guarantee; five checks cost £6 each. The RAC's Full check includes finance details, mileage, MOT history, write-off details, previous owners, average running costs and MOT failure data, with a £30,000 guarantee on qualifying claims. You pay £10 more than CarCostCheck, mainly for the brand and the guarantee.

£19.99 (HPI)

Same Experian data again, plus the HPI Guarantee (which has a poor track record on Trustpilot) and an auto-enrolling £39/year subscription. At four times the price of CarCostCheck, this is the hardest to justify.

£39.99 (carVertical)

The most expensive single report here. carVertical's reports include a market price and European history, which helps if the car has spent time abroad. Two reports cost £51.98 and three £62.97.

Where the Data Comes From

Car history checks draw on a handful of sources, not one single pipeline:

• Stolen: the Police National Computer.
• Write-offs: MIAFTR, the insurance industry's register.
• Outstanding finance: separate finance registers. Experian keeps one and CDL another, and lenders register agreements with more than one.
• MOT history and vehicle details: free government data from the DVSA and DVLA.

When you pay £19.99 for an HPI check, you are paying for the same Experian query that CarCostCheck runs for £4.99. The additional cost covers HPI's marketing budget, office overheads, and profit margin. It does not buy you better data.

The Smart Strategy

1. Screen for free. Enter the reg on CarCostCheck and check MOT history, mileage, and reliability at no cost.
2. Pay £4.99 only for cars you are serious about. There is no point running a premium check on a car whose free check already shows problems.
3. Add the £2.99 valuation if you want to negotiate on price. Or get both for £6.99 in the bundle.

Total cost for a complete car check and valuation: £6.99. That is 65% less than HPI charges for a basic check without a valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Makes CarCostCheck Different

CarCostCheck is not just a cheaper version of HPI. As well as the history check, it helps you judge whether a car will be a good one to own. Here is what you get that HPI does not offer at any price:

• 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.
• 12 free checks: Full MOT history, mileage verification, reliability score, running costs, fuel costs, red flag alerts, common faults, recall check, ULEZ compliance, tax and MOT status, 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 the same core checks: stolen, outstanding finance and write-off. The complete bundle (history + valuation) is £6.99, still 65% cheaper than HPI's basic check.

Related Reading

• Cheapest HPI Check UK 2026: Every Provider Compared
• Best Car Check UK 2026: The Complete Comparison
• How to Check if a Car Has Outstanding Finance