CarHistory

Every MOT since 2005 is on record for free, and GOV.UK will show it to you. CarHistory.cc's point is that the record is the easy part. Knowing what to make of it is harder. Type in a number plate and you get each test's result, faults and mileage, with notes on the patterns worth asking a seller about: a fail followed by a quick pass usually means the fault was fixed and retested, while a mileage reading lower than the year before, or the same tyre advisory turning up again, deserves a question.

The site says your registration never goes into the web address, and its server keeps the result for 15 minutes under a scrambled copy of the plate before deleting it. There's no account.

The other half is statistics. CarHistory.cc takes the DVSA's anonymised MOT test data and shows how models compare at the same age. The home page example looks at cars first used in 2015 at their 2025 MOT. Across all vehicles, 71.9% passed first time with no repairs. The Volkswagen Golf managed 81.8% and the Vauxhall Corsa 63.6%. There are also pages for years to avoid, the most common MOT failures and average mileage by age, plus downloadable data. A methodology page explains how each figure is counted, and the site labels the numbers as guidance.

An MOT history won't show outstanding finance, write-offs, theft or plate changes. A separate page compares four paid history checks (HPI, RAC, AA and Experian), with prices dated October 30, 2026 and taken from each provider's own site, and it lists free steps to do first, like matching the VIN on the V5C to the car.

On money, the about page is upfront. The site is free, and it may later earn a commission when you buy a history check through one of its links, which it says it will flag next to the link. It's independent of the DVSA, DVLA and GOV.UK.