Pre-launch · Early access

MOT Checkup API

DVSA MOT history, AI reliability scoring, and vehicle data for your platform

Aimed at car dealers, insurance brokers and fleet managers who want to surface vehicle risk inside their own apps. The same DVSA + DVLA + AI layer that powers motcheckup.co.uk — being prepared as a clean REST API. Pre-launch — request early access via the form below.

Request API access View endpoints100 lookups free for 7 days · No card to trial

Who's asking for this

Three workloads make up almost every conversation we have. If you recognise yours, you'll save a discovery call.

Car dealer platforms

Show MOT history on every listing. Surface mileage anomalies and advisory trends so buyers don't ghost after the inspection.

Insurance underwriters

Pull MOT history at quote time. Risk-adjust premiums based on dangerous defect rate per make and model.

Fleet managers

Bulk-check every vehicle in your fleet. Flag upcoming MOTs and predicted failures 30 days out.

Endpoints

Planned v1 surface. All endpoints return JSON, authenticate with a bearer token, and are rate-limited per key. Endpoint contracts are stable from the moment we ship — versioned via the URL prefix.

Method	Path	Description
GET	`/v1/mot-history/{plate}`	Full DVSA MOT record for a UK registration.
GET	`/v1/reliability/{make}/{model}`	AI-aggregated reliability insights, pass-rate and top faults.
GET	`/v1/vehicle/{plate}`	Vehicle spec — DVLA + DVSA combined (make, model, fuel, CO2, BHP).
POST	`/v1/bulk-check`	Up to 1,000 plates per request. Returns MOT + reliability for each.
GET	`/v1/failure-prediction/{plate}`	Probability of failing the next MOT, based on advisory history and make/model fault patterns.

Pre-launch — these endpoints describe the v1 surface we're building. Early-access customers shape the final contract.

Sample response

A real call against GET /v1/mot-history/AB12CDE returns the DVSA record plus the AI-derived insights layer in one response. Field names mirror the DVSA schema where they overlap.

Request

cURL

GET /v1/mot-history/AB12CDE
Authorization: Bearer mc_live_••••••••••••

200 OK Response

JSON

{
  "registration": "AB12CDE",
  "make": "FORD",
  "model": "FIESTA",
  "firstUsedDate": "2012-03-14",
  "fuelType": "PETROL",
  "primaryColour": "BLUE",
  "engineSize": "1242",
  "motTestExpiryDate": "2026-09-12",
  "motTests": [
    {
      "completedDate": "2025-09-04T10:42:00.000Z",
      "testResult": "PASSED",
      "expiryDate": "2026-09-12",
      "odometerValue": 87432,
      "odometerUnit": "mi",
      "motTestNumber": "445120304811",
      "rfrAndComments": [
        {
          "text": "Nearside front tyre worn close to legal limit",
          "type": "ADVISORY",
          "dangerous": false
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "completedDate": "2024-09-02T09:18:00.000Z",
      "testResult": "FAILED",
      "odometerValue": 79104,
      "odometerUnit": "mi",
      "rfrAndComments": [
        {
          "text": "Offside rear brake pad worn below 1.5mm",
          "type": "MAJOR",
          "dangerous": false
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "aiInsights": {
    "reliabilityScore": 7.4,
    "predictedFailureProbability": 0.18,
    "mileageAnomalyFlag": false,
    "commonFaultsForModel": [
      "Rear brake pad wear",
      "Front suspension top mount",
      "Headlight aim"
    ]
  },
  "meta": {
    "source": "DVSA + MOT Checkup AI v1.0",
    "fetchedAt": "2026-05-18T11:04:22.118Z",
    "cacheTtlSeconds": 86400
  }
}

Pricing

Pick the tier that matches your volume. Move between Starter and Growth at any time — overage above your tier is billed at the next-tier per-lookup rate, never blocked.

Starter

£99per month

1,000 lookups / month
All endpoints
Sandbox + production keys
Email support
Cancel any time

Start with Starter

Growth

£499per month

10,000 lookups / month
All endpoints
Sandbox + production keys
Shared Slack channel support
Target 99.9% uptime SLA (post-launch)
Bulk endpoint enabled

Start with Growth

Enterprise

Customannual contract

Unlimited lookups
All endpoints
Dedicated engineer + Slack
SSO (Google, Okta, SAML)
Target 99.95% uptime SLA (post-launch, per contract)
Custom data export + warehousing

Contact sales

All plans include: per-key rate limiting, sandbox environment with synthetic test plates, 30-day money-back guarantee, GDPR-compliant data handling and a UK-only data residency stack. Bulk endpoint is enabled on Growth and Enterprise.

DVSA Official Data

Direct upstream

DVLA Vehicle Enquiry

Live lookups

Companies House

UK registered

UK data residency

London + Falkenstein

Request API access

Tell us the rough shape of what you're building. We'll reply within 1 business day with sandbox credentials, the OpenAPI spec, and (if relevant) a calendar link to scope Enterprise.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a contract?

No. Starter and Growth tiers are monthly, cancel any time, no minimum commitment. Enterprise tiers are annual because they include a dedicated engineer and a custom SLA.

Is the MOT data real-time?

Yes. We pull directly from the DVSA upstream and cache responses for 24 hours per registration. If a vehicle has its MOT re-tested today, the next lookup after our cache expires returns the new record. Enterprise customers can request 1-hour cache TTL.

Where is the data hosted?

UK. Compute runs on Vercel's London edge region. Persistent storage (the Postgres mirror of DVSA data) sits in Hetzner Falkenstein. We do not ship MOT records outside the UK / EEA, and we're a UK-registered limited company.

Can I get a free trial?

Yes — 100 lookups free for 7 days on a sandbox key. Request it via the form below and we'll send credentials in your reply. No card needed for the trial.

Do you have a Postman collection or OpenAPI spec?

Yes — on request. We send a Postman collection and an OpenAPI 3.1 spec with your sandbox credentials. Both stay in sync with the live service via CI.

Ready to wire up your platform?

100 lookups free for 7 days. No card. UK data residency.

Request API access