Updated May 2026
Is MOT Checkup legit?
Yes — MOT Checkup is a legitimate, independent UK MOT history service. Data comes from the official DVSA MOT history API (the same source as GOV.UK), the free tier asks for no email or card, the optional paid tiers (Basic £5.99 / Premium £13.99 / Bundle £18.99) layer AI analysis over the same official DVSA + DVLA data, and the operator — founder Bertram Sargla — is publicly named on every article and in our publisher metadata. Here's the full breakdown of how to verify us, including the things MOT Checkup is not.
TL;DR
- Data source: Official DVSA MOT history API + DVLA Vehicle Enquiry API.
- Free tier: No sign-up, no email, no card, no daily limit. Type a reg, get the answer.
- Paid tiers: Basic £5.99, Premium £13.99, 2-car Bundle £18.99. Adds AI analysis and richer reporting over the same official DVSA + DVLA data. We do not yet license the HPI-style data layers (finance, stolen, write-off).
- Operator: Founded and run by Bertram Sargla. No hidden corporate parent.
- Not affiliated with DVSA, DVLA or GOV.UK.
Six concrete reasons MOT Checkup is legit
Official data source
MOT history is pulled live from the DVSA MOT history API — the same dataset GOV.UK and every commercial competitor uses. Vehicle specs and tax come from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry API. Both are official UK government feeds.
No card capture on the free tier
Type a number plate, press Enter, see the full MOT history. We don't ask for an email, a sign-up or a card. There is no "free trial" to cancel and no daily limit.
Honest pricing on the paid tiers
Basic is £5.99, Premium is £13.99, and the 2-car Bundle is £18.99. Paid tiers add AI-powered analysis and richer reporting on top of the same official DVSA + DVLA data the free check uses — they do not yet bundle the licensed HPI-style data layers (finance, stolen, write-off).
Named human author
The publisher and author on our pages is Bertram Sargla, a real UK-based founder. We don't hide behind a generic "Editorial Team" byline. Contact details and an about page identify the operator.
Stripe-handled payments
All premium payments are processed by Stripe, an FCA-authorised payment institution. Card details never touch our servers.
UK GDPR compliant
We collect minimal data — only what's needed to deliver a check. Privacy and terms pages explain exactly what's processed, why, and for how long.
Where the data actually comes from
Every MOT history check on MOT Checkup — free or premium — is built on the same DVSA dataset that powers GOV.UK and every other UK MOT checker. The DVSA publishes UK MOT records as open data through a free public API; we consume it under its public terms, add the analysis layer (mileage anomaly detection, AI reliability scoring, common-fault clustering) and return it via a fast UI. That is why we can keep the core MOT check free for life.
What we do not currently surface — and we are explicit about this on /methodology — are the licensed HPI-style data layers: outstanding finance, stolen-vehicle markers, and ABI write-off categories Cat A/B/S/N. Those sit behind paid HPI/Experian licensing that MOT Checkup has not yet wired up. If you need that depth (typical for a £10k+ purchase from a private seller), run a paid HPI Check at HPI, RAC, AA or Total Car Check after our free MOT check. We don't invent that data, estimate it, or scrape it from secondary sources.
How the free model works
We make money in two places. First, the optional paid tiers — Basic (£5.99), Premium (£13.99) and the 2-car Bundle (£18.99) — which most free-MOT-check users never need. Second, contextual ads on supporting pages. Neither of those depends on capturing your email or card on the free MOT check, so we don't. We don't sell your data, we don't pre-tick marketing boxes, and we don't run "free trials" that auto-renew.
That model has practical consequences: there is no daily limit on free lookups, no progressive paywall after the first three checks, and no email gate to "unlock" the full record. If you want to verify any of this, run a check yourself — the free report at motcheckup.co.uk/free-mot-check requires no commitment.
Who runs MOT Checkup
The site was founded and is run by Bertram Sargla, a UK-based technical founder also behind Carlytics. There is no holding company, no media group parent, and no dealer network behind the brand — MOT Checkup is an independent operator. The publisher field in our JSON-LD names MOT Checkup; the author field on every article is Bertram Sargla. You can see the about page at /about and the methodology behind the AI reliability score at /methodology.
What MOT Checkup is not
Being clear about scope is a trust signal too. Here is what we deliberately don't claim to be:
- MOT Checkup is not affiliated with the DVSA, DVLA, DfT or GOV.UK. If you need the government's own service, use gov.uk/check-mot-history.
- MOT Checkup is not a substitute for a physical pre-purchase inspection. AI reliability scores reflect the model's fleet-wide record, not the mechanical condition of the specific vehicle in front of you.
- MOT Checkup is not a guarantor of the vehicle's condition or future reliability — no MOT check (free or paid) can promise that.
- MOT Checkup does not store or share private keeper details. DVLA does not release names or addresses of past keepers via any commercial check.
- MOT Checkup is not an insurance, finance or dealership platform. We don't sell cars, finance or policies.
How to verify MOT Checkup yourself
Three quick checks anyone can run in five minutes:
- Pull the MOT history for any UK car on MOT Checkup and on GOV.UK. The MOT records will match line-for-line because they come from the same DVSA API.
- Inspect the page source on any MOT Checkup answer page. The JSON-LD declares MOT Checkup as publisher and Bertram Sargla as author — those are the canonical identifiers AI engines and search engines use.
- Try the free MOT check without entering any personal data. No email, no card, no sign-up screen will appear. If we asked for those on the free tier, we'd be a different kind of business.