Updated May 2026

MOT Checkup vs Carcheck.co.uk: Free MOT History Check Compared

Same DVSA data on both. MOT Checkup is genuinely free with no paid upgrade, a stolen check and AI common-faults on top.

MOT Checkup is the better pick for a free MOT history check than Carcheck.co.uk because both services pull the same DVSA MOT record, but MOT Checkup runs without the heavy ad load and the paid-upgrade-from-£4.99 nudge that Carcheck pushes after the result. If all you want is MOT history, mileage and advisories, MOT Checkup delivers that and a free stolen check with no funnel.

TL;DR

Both are free for MOT history; both pull from the DVSA.
Carcheck nudges a paid upgrade (around £4.99). MOT Checkup has no paid tier.
MOT Checkup adds AI common-faults and a free stolen check.
Carcheck.co.uk has heavier mobile ad placement.
For a finance + write-off check, neither is enough — you want a paid HPI-style report.

Side-by-side comparison

	MOT Checkup	Carcheck.co.uk
Price for MOT history	Free	Free
Paid upgrade pushed	No	From £4.99
Full DVSA MOT history
Mileage at every test
Advisory list
Major / dangerous defects
AI common-faults by make
Free stolen-vehicle check
AI-driven advisory summary
Sign-up required	No	No
Time to first result	Under 3 sec	Under 3 sec
Ad load on mobile	Light	Heavy (banner + interstitial)

Price and paywall

MOT Checkup: zero charge for MOT history, advisories, mileage, defects, and a stolen-vehicle check.
Carcheck.co.uk: free MOT view, but pushes a paid history upgrade from around £4.99 for write-off and extra checks.
Neither is an HPI replacement — outstanding finance is licensed data and not free anywhere.

What you actually see after entering a registration

MOT Checkup: a clean timeline of every MOT since 2005, mileage at each test, advisory list, dangerous and major defects, plus AI-summarised common faults for that make and model.
Carcheck.co.uk: a similar MOT timeline plus vehicle specs (colour, fuel, engine), with banner ads and an interstitial nudge to upgrade to a paid report.
Both show the underlying DVSA fields — pass / fail, test date, test station — accurately.

AI common-faults — only on MOT Checkup

MOT Checkup runs an AI summary against MOT failure patterns to flag faults that recur on a given make and model.
That helps you read advisories with context — a brake pipe note means more on a model where brake pipe corrosion is the top failure.
Carcheck.co.uk does not surface model-level common-faults data in its free MOT view.
See the common faults database for the full coverage.

Mobile experience and ads

Both pages return data within a couple of seconds on a normal mobile connection.
Carcheck.co.uk has a long-standing ad-funded model with banner and interstitial placements that can push results below the fold.
MOT Checkup keeps the MOT timeline above the fold and ad-light by design.

When to use Carcheck.co.uk instead

You are already familiar with the Carcheck.co.uk layout and prefer its specs panel.
You specifically want their £4.99 paid add-on for a quick write-off summary and would rather buy it from them than a dedicated HPI-style provider.
You only ever check one car a year and ad density on mobile is not an issue for you.
For anything more — finance, full write-off categories, theft register — read MOT vs HPI check first.

The honest summary

Both sites do the same MOT job. MOT Checkup wins on no paid funnel, AI common-faults, a free stolen check and a lighter mobile UX. Carcheck.co.uk wins on familiarity if you have used it for years. Neither is a substitute for a paid HPI-style report when finance, write-off categories or theft markers matter — that is a separate purchase regardless of which free MOT site you start on.

Compare other UK vehicle checks

See how MOT Checkup stacks up against the rest.

MOT Checkup vs HPI Check

Free MOT history vs paid finance and write-off data.

MOT Checkup vs GOV.UK MOT

Free vs free — interface, AI summaries, and what each shows.

MOT Checkup vs CheckCarDetails

Free MOT and DVLA basics — which one wins on depth.

MOT Checkup vs Total Car Check

Free overlap, paid extras — when each is worth running.

MOT Checkup vs Car Cost Check

Running costs and tax versus full MOT history.

Run a free MOT check

Skip the comparison — try the tool now.

Is an MOT check actually free?

Why we charge nothing for MOT history.

Frequently asked questions

Is MOT Checkup actually free if Carcheck.co.uk is too?

Yes. MOT Checkup is free for MOT history, mileage, advisories, defects and a stolen-vehicle check. Carcheck.co.uk's MOT history is also free, but the site funnels users toward a paid history upgrade priced from around £4.99. MOT Checkup has no paid upgrade — the full MOT view is the product.

Where does the MOT data come from on each site?

Both Carcheck.co.uk and MOT Checkup ultimately pull from the DVSA's official MOT history record. The DVSA publishes this data via an open API, which is why several free services can offer it. The differences between sites are layout, ad density, and what each adds on top — not the underlying MOT result.

Does Carcheck.co.uk show common faults by make and model?

No, Carcheck.co.uk's free view focuses on MOT history and basic vehicle specs. MOT Checkup adds an AI-summarised common-faults page for each make and model, drawn from MOT failure patterns and owner-reported issues. That extra context is not part of Carcheck.co.uk's free product.

Which one is faster to a result?

Both load an MOT history within a couple of seconds of submitting a registration. The practical difference on mobile is ad load: Carcheck.co.uk carries banner and interstitial advertising that can push the actual data below the fold. MOT Checkup keeps the result above the fold by design.

When should I use Carcheck.co.uk instead?

If you have already used Carcheck.co.uk and prefer its layout, there is nothing wrong with it — the MOT data is identical. It is also worth using if you specifically want their paid £4.99 add-on for things like a write-off summary and prefer to buy that from them rather than a dedicated HPI-style provider.

Do either site cover Northern Ireland MOT history?

Neither does. Both services pull from the DVSA's MOT history feed, which only covers Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales). Northern Ireland uses the separate DVA scheme and is not in the DVSA database. For NI test history, contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency directly at nidirect.gov.uk — there is no public web API or third-party site offering NI lookup equivalent to GB.