Updated May 2026

What is the cheapest MOT history check in the UK?

£0. The MOT history record is free. Five UK services return the full DVSA MOT record at no cost; the cheapest paid full HPI-style report is £7.95 at Total Car Check. MOT Checkup’s own paid tiers (£5.99–£18.99) layer AI analysis on top of the same official data — they do not currently bundle the licensed finance/stolen/write-off layers. Anyone charging £19.99 or more for the full HPI-style report is selling the same DVSA + licensed data with a bigger brand on the cover.

TL;DR

Cheapest (free): MOT Checkup — full DVSA history + AI insights, £0.
Cheapest paid full HPI-style report: Total Car Check £7.95 for finance/stolen/write-off cover.
Don't overpay: RAC (£19.99) and HPI (£19.99) cover the same data as Total Car Check at less than half the price.

How we ranked these

Ranking weighted by price first, then by what you actually get for that price — free-tier depth and paid-tier inclusions matter more than brand name.

The ranking

MOT Checkup

Our pick

Cheapest because it's free, and the deepest free tier on the market: full DVSA history + AI reliability score + mileage anomaly detection.

Strengths

Genuinely £0 — no sign-up, no card, no daily limit
Mileage anomaly detection and AI reliability score on the free tier
Optional paid tiers from £5.99 add AI analysis and richer reporting

Watch-outs

MOT-only — finance, stolen and write-off data are not currently surfaced; use Total Car Check or HPI for those layers

Best for: Anyone who wants the most useful free MOT check before paying for anything.

£0

Free MOT history

Run a free check

GOV.UK MOT history

The DVSA's own service — same data, plain layout, zero analysis.

Strengths

Authoritative source (every paid site pulls from this dataset)
No ads, no upsell

Watch-outs

Bare-bones presentation
No mileage chart, no aggregation, no flags

Best for: Cross-referencing a record found elsewhere.

£0

Free, official

Visit

Check Car Details (free tier)

Free MOT history alongside tax status and basic vehicle details.

Strengths

Useful tax / SORN status next to the MOT timeline
Decent free depth

Watch-outs

Free tier missing finance/stolen markers
Paid bundled report is £9.99 — slightly more than rivals

Best for: Buyers who want tax + MOT in one free view.

£0

Free MOT + tax

Visit

Carwow Free Car Check

Free MOT and tax lookup with strong brand recognition.

Strengths

Polished UI from a well-known used-car brand
Tax and basic check at no cost

Watch-outs

MOT view is shallower than MOT Checkup's free tier
Heavy cross-sell into Carwow's selling/financing tools

Best for: Drivers already using Carwow for valuation or part-exchange.

£0

Free MOT + tax

Visit

Vehicle Score

Free MOT and basic check with a heavier ad footprint than rivals.

Strengths

Free tier covers MOT history
Adequate for a quick check

Watch-outs

Ad-heavy interface
Less polished than MOT Checkup or Check Car Details

Best for: One-off lookups when other free sites don't have what you need.

£0

Free, ad-supported

Visit

Total Car Check (paid)

The cheapest paid HPI-style report if you need finance and stolen-vehicle data.

Strengths

Lowest paid full-report price on this list
Auto Express "Best car check app" winner multiple years running

Watch-outs

Not the cheapest *MOT* check — that's still free elsewhere
Paid report adds finance/stolen layers, not extra MOT depth

Best for: Buyers needing finance/write-off cover at the absolute lowest paid price.

£7.95

Full report

Visit

MOT Checkup paid tiers

If you already trust the free MOT Checkup tier, paid tiers (Basic £5.99, Premium £13.99, 2-car Bundle £18.99) add AI-powered analysis and richer reporting on top of the same official DVSA + DVLA data — not the licensed HPI-style finance/stolen/write-off layers.

Strengths

Adds AI analysis and richer reporting in the same UI as the free check
One-off fees, no subscription, no card stored

Watch-outs

Does not currently bundle the licensed HPI-style data layers (finance, stolen, write-off)

Best for: Buyers who want deeper AI analysis on top of the free MOT check without escalating to a paid HPI-style provider.

£5.99 – £18.99

Paid AI reports

Visit

Why MOT Checkup is the cheapest useful check

Several sites are free. MOT Checkup ranks first on price because it gives you the most useful free output — not just the raw DVSA record (GOV.UK does that), but the analysis on top: mileage anomaly flags, AI reliability scoring against the same make and model, and common fault context. That's the difference between "free data" and "free buying decision".

If you do need the licensed paid layers — finance, write-off, stolen — MOT Checkup does not currently surface those. Use Total Car Check (£7.95) for a sub-£8 paid full report, or HPI/RAC (£19.99) if you want the established brand on the cover. The underlying licensed data is the same across all of them.

Don't pay for the wrapper

A £19.99 report and a £7.95 report on the same vehicle return the same DVSA MOT record, the same Experian finance markers and the same write-off categories. The cost difference is brand and PDF design. If you specifically want the RAC name on the cover, pay it. Otherwise, the cheaper provider is the same product with a different colour.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest MOT history check in the UK?

Free. The MOT history record itself is open DVSA data and can be checked at £0 on multiple services — MOT Checkup, GOV.UK, Check Car Details (free tier), Carwow and Vehicle Score all return it for free. Any site charging for the MOT record alone is selling repackaged free data. MOT Checkup is our top pick on free-tier depth: full DVSA history plus AI reliability scoring and mileage anomaly detection.

Why do some sites charge if it's free elsewhere?

Paid sites bundle MOT history with data layers that genuinely cost money to license — outstanding finance, write-off categories, stolen-vehicle markers, plate transfers, keeper history. The MOT portion of those reports is the same free DVSA record. If you only need MOT, you don't need to pay.

Is the free MOT data the same quality as the paid version?

Yes — the DVSA record is the same. Differences across free sites are presentation (mileage chart, anomaly flags, aggregation), not data accuracy. Differences across paid sites are extra data layers (finance, stolen) plus PDF / email packaging.

When should I pay for an HPI-style check?

When you're buying a used car for serious money and need cover on finance, write-off (Cat A/B/S/N) and stolen-vehicle markers — none of which the free MOT record covers, and none of which MOT Checkup currently surfaces. For £10,000+ purchases, the £7.95 spend at Total Car Check (or £19.99 at HPI/RAC) is straightforward insurance. For a £1,500 banger, the free MOT history is usually enough.

What's the cheapest paid MOT/vehicle report?

Total Car Check at £7.95 is the cheapest paid full HPI-style report. MOT Checkup's own paid tiers (£5.99–£18.99) layer AI analysis on top of the same official data but do not currently bundle the licensed HPI-style data layers (finance, stolen, write-off). Total Car Check undercuts RAC (£19.99) and HPI (£19.99) by roughly 60% for the same underlying licensed data.

Are there hidden costs on the free tier?

Not on MOT Checkup. No card capture, no email gate, no daily limit, no time-limited trial. Some free competitors require an email or push a subscription on the next page; we don't.

Is GOV.UK enough on its own?

It's the authoritative source and free, so cross-referencing there is wise. But the GOV.UK page shows the raw record only — no mileage chart, no anomaly flags, no reliability context. For a buying decision, a derived view like MOT Checkup is more useful; GOV.UK confirms.

Will the MOT history record change after I check it?

The record updates when a new MOT is recorded by a test station. For an in-service car you'll see a new entry roughly every 12 months. Mileage and advisory entries are timestamped to the test date and don't change retroactively.