Before buying a used car, it’s always a good idea to suss out its history with a reg check.
This even goes for main dealer vehicles, as you want to make sure there’s nothing dodgy in the vehicles past. While main dealers should be scrupulous and you’ll have some sort of comeback comapred to a private seller or small independant, sometimes things get missed.
How to run a reg check
There are a ton of services out there that enable you to run a reg check on a specific vehicle, previously I’ve used the RAC and HPI.
It’s an extra £10-20 that you have to find whenever you’re thinking about buying a vehicle.
But the current daddy of the used vehicle reg check is carVertical.
carVertical works nearly worldwide and checks the following:
- That the mileage seems correct
- If it’s been stolen
- If it’s ever been in any accidents
- And that there’s no outstanding finance
It also checks when and where a vehicle was first registered. Along with the MOT history, if it’s ever been a rental car or was exported. And can even show if it’s been used as a driving school car, police vehicle or a taxi.
carVertical can even show you the crash damage if a vehicle has been recorded as a write off and has then been repaired.
There’s also a handy checklist. This runs you through things you should physically check on the vehicle before you commit to buying it.
As well as tons more…valuations included.
Oh, and you can even download the report as a PDF like this sample report here. Or print it off to keep with your vehicle history.
To run a reg check on any used car or vehicle, just enter the registration or vin number below.
How much does a reg check cost?
Prices vary depending on who you go with and the level of detail you want checking.
The RAC charge £9.99 for a basic check, £14.99 for a ‘Full Check’ and £29.97 for 5 full checks.
Hpi charge you £9.99 for a basic check, £19.99 for a ‘Hpi Check’ and £29.97 for 3 full checks – redeemable within 2 years.
And last but not least, a carVertical check comes in at £29.99 for 1 report, £15.99 for 3 and £17.99 for 2 – so you may as well buy 3!
When to run a used vehicle reg check
Normally I run a check after I’ve been to see the car or motorbike and before I’ve put a deposit down. It doesn’t always work that way.
But if you run one beforehand and you’re put off by something when you go to see it in the metal, then you’ve wasted your car check money.
Most services, like carVertical offer packs of more than one check. This is ideal if you’re in the market for a used car and you want to check out more than one before you buy. Multiple car checks are also cheaper as an incentive for you to buy more.