Short answer: HPI trade accounts typically cost £1,000 to £2,000+ per month depending on volume, with annual contracts and minimum commitments. CarCostCheck trade packs start from £4 per check with bulk discounts, no contracts, and a searchable history dashboard. For a dealer doing 50 checks a month, that is £200 versus £1,000 or more.
If you run a dealership, auction house, or car buying service, vehicle checks are a non-negotiable cost of doing business. Every car you stock needs a provenance check before you can sell it with confidence. The problem is that HPI has dominated the trade market for so long that many dealers assume the high prices are just the cost of entry. They are not.
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What HPI Charges Trade Users
HPI's trade pricing is not published openly, which should tell you something. Dealers typically pay between £8 and £20 per check depending on the volume tier they commit to. Most trade accounts require annual contracts with minimum check volumes. For a medium-sized dealer running 50 to 100 checks per month, annual costs can easily exceed £12,000.
The HPI trade package includes their standard provenance check: stolen status, finance, write-off history, mileage, plate changes, keeper count, and VIN verification. Some tiers add a valuation tool and a "HPI Clear" certificate that dealers can show to customers. The brand recognition of that certificate is arguably the main thing dealers are paying for.
There are also hidden costs. Many HPI trade accounts charge for additional features like batch processing, API access, or historical report retrieval. These extras can add 20-30% to the monthly bill.
CarCostCheck Trade Pricing
CarCostCheck trade packs work on a simple bulk-buy model. The more checks you purchase, the lower the per-check cost. There are no annual contracts, no minimum commitments, and no hidden fees.
| Pack Size | Price per Check | Total Cost | Equivalent HPI Cost (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 checks | £4.50 | £45 | £100-200 |
| 25 checks | £4.25 | £106 | £250-500 |
| 50 checks | £4.00 | £200 | £500-1,000 |
| 100 checks | £3.75 | £375 | £1,000-2,000 |
For a dealer doing 50 checks per month, the annual saving is significant. At £200 per month versus an estimated £1,000+ with HPI, that is £9,600 saved per year. Money that can go towards stock, marketing, or simply improving your margins.
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Trade Dashboard Features
Price is only part of the equation. Trade users need tools that fit into their workflow. CarCostCheck's trade dashboard is designed for dealers who process multiple vehicles daily:
- Bulk CSV upload: Upload a spreadsheet of registration plates and run checks on all of them at once. Results are returned in a downloadable report, saving hours of manual entry.
- Searchable history: Every check you have ever run is stored and searchable. Need to pull up a report from three months ago? Search by reg, make, model, or date. No re-purchasing required.
- Customer-ready reports: Generate clean, branded reports you can share with buyers. Each report includes the provenance check plus the running cost analysis that helps close sales.
- Team accounts: Add multiple users under one trade account. Track who ran which checks and manage permissions centrally.
- No lock-in: Buy a pack, use the checks whenever you need them. No expiry date, no contract renewal pressure, no penalty for quiet months.
The running cost analysis is a particularly valuable sales tool. When a customer asks "what will this car cost me to run?", you can show them a detailed breakdown covering fuel, tax, insurance, servicing, and predicted repairs. That level of transparency builds trust and helps justify your asking price.
Making the Switch
Switching from HPI to CarCostCheck does not require any technical integration. You can start with a small pack to test the service, run it alongside your existing HPI account, and transition fully once you are satisfied.
The main objection we hear from dealers is "but customers know the HPI brand." That is true, and brand recognition does have value at the point of sale. However, what customers actually care about is whether the car has been checked and whether it is safe to buy. A comprehensive provenance report with a running cost analysis achieves that, regardless of the brand on the letterhead.
Many dealers who have switched report that the running cost breakdown is a more effective sales tool than a brand name. Showing a customer exactly what their car will cost per month builds more confidence than a logo.
Visit our trade page to see the full trade offering and request a sample report.
What Makes CarCostCheck Different
CarCostCheck is not just a cheaper alternative. It is a fundamentally better product that costs 75% less. Here is what you get that HPI and most other services do not offer at any price:
- Real-time market valuation from £2.99, powered by over 650,000 live UK dealer listings. See what this car is actually worth in your area, how quickly similar cars sell, and how the price compares nationally.
- Estimated vehicle lifespan: AI analysis of over 100 million data points predicts how many years the car has left and the probability of it being on the road in 12 months.
- Insurance costs by age: Estimated annual premiums for drivers aged 20, 30, 40, and 50.
- Running cost breakdown: Annual fuel, road tax, MOT, predicted repairs, and total cost per month for this specific car.
- Health score (0-100): A single number summarising overall vehicle condition based on MOT history, advisory patterns, and mileage consistency.
- 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 anything.
The premium check (£4.99) uses the same Experian database as HPI, AA, and RAC for identical stolen, finance, and write-off data. The complete bundle (history + valuation) is £6.99, still 65% cheaper than HPI alone.
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