About VehicleFile

VehicleFile is a free MOT history check for vehicles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Type a registration and you get every MOT test on record, the mileage at each one, every defect the tester noted, and whether the vehicle has a safety recall that has not been fixed.

Why it exists

The MOT record is the most reliable history a used car has. The seller cannot edit it, and it goes back to 2005. But the official presentation is a long list that is hard to read at a glance. VehicleFile lays the same record out so the important things stand out: whether the MOT is valid, whether the mileage ever went backwards, and which faults keep coming back.

Where the data comes from

Every result comes from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) through its MOT history service. We do not add to it or change it. Results are kept for up to twelve hours so that repeated checks of the same vehicle load quickly, then fetched fresh.

The mileage chart and the ULEZ estimate are worked out by VehicleFile from DVSA's figures. The ULEZ estimate uses fuel type and registration date only, so treat it as a guide and confirm with Transport for London before driving in a clean air zone.

What we are not

VehicleFile is independent. It is not part of DVSA, DVLA or any part of the UK government, and it is not endorsed by them. To tax a vehicle, book an MOT or report a fault with an official record, use the services on GOV.UK.

We never show who owns a vehicle. MOT records do not contain owner details, and we do not collect them from anywhere else.

Who runs it

VehicleFile is built and operated by Convertix Core, a small software studio. The site is free to use and is paid for by advertising.

Found a mistake, or a result that looks wrong? Tell us.