Updated May 2026

MOT Checkup vs HPI Check: free MOT first, paid report only if needed

Start free. MOT Checkup runs the MOT, mileage and reliability check at £0, with paid tiers from £5.99 adding AI analysis and richer reporting. For licensed HPI-style data (finance, write-off and stolen markers), MOT Checkup does not currently surface those — HPI Check (£19.99) or Total Car Check (£7.95) are the right paid tools for that layer.

Free DVSA MOT historyAI reliability scoreFree MOT vs HPI £19.99No sign-up, no card

Free MOT history check — type any UK registration to start.

The honest comparison: MOT Checkup’s free tier covers MOT history, mileage, AI reliability scoring and mileage anomaly detection — none of which is in a basic HPI Check. For finance, write-off and stolen markers, HPI Limited’s report (~£19.99 from HPI, owned by Solera) and Total Car Check (£7.95) cover the licensed data layers. MOT Checkup does not currently surface those licensed layers — pair the free MOT Checkup analysis with one of the paid HPI-style providers if you need both.

TL;DR

MOT Checkup: free, MOT and mileage history, AI common-faults, stolen check.
HPI Check: paid (typically around £19.99), adds finance, write-off and theft data.
They are complementary; many buyers should use both, in order.
Run MOT Checkup first to rule out clocking and bad MOT history.
Pay for HPI on cars over a few thousand pounds or anything bought from an unknown seller.

Side-by-side comparison

	MOT Checkup	HPI Check
Price	Free	Around £19.99
Full DVSA MOT history
Mileage at every test
Advisory list
AI common-faults by make
Free stolen-vehicle check		Included in paid
Outstanding finance check
Insurance write-off categories
Police-register theft data
Plate change history
£30,000 data guarantee
Sign-up required	No	Email + payment

What HPI Check actually adds

Outstanding finance. Whether the car is currently subject to a hire purchase or PCP agreement — critical, because unsettled finance can mean repossession after you have paid.
Insurance write-off categories. Cat A, B, S or N history showing the car has been written off and, where allowed, repaired and returned to the road.
Police-register theft data. Markers from law enforcement on stolen or recovered vehicles.
Plate change history. Whether the registration on the car has been transferred over time.
£30,000 data guarantee. If the report misses a recorded issue, HPI Limited's guarantee covers losses up to that amount, subject to terms.

What MOT Checkup does without charging

Full DVSA MOT timeline since 2005 — pass / fail, defects, advisories.
Mileage at every test, with any anomaly visible at a glance — the single best free signal for clocking.
AI common-faults summary by make and model from MOT failure patterns.
Free stolen-vehicle check separately from MOT history.
No sign-up, no payment, no upgrade nudges.

The right order to run them

Start free on MOT Checkup. Look for clocked mileage, repeat advisories on the same component, dangerous defects in the recent history, and patterns of MOT shopping between testers.
If anything obvious shows up, you may not need to spend on an HPI Check at all — the car is already off your shortlist.
If the MOT view is clean, then pay for HPI (or an equivalent provider) for finance, write-off and theft data on top.

When to pay for an HPI Check

Used car over a few thousand pounds, regardless of seller type.
Private sale where you do not know the seller — finance and write-off risk is highest here.
Repaired Cat S or Cat N car you are knowingly considering, to confirm category and date.
Higher-value used car where the £19.99 fee is rounding error against the purchase price.

When MOT Checkup is enough on its own

Older runaround under a couple of thousand pounds.
Car you are buying from a friend or family member you trust on finance and damage history.
Quick gate-check before deciding whether to view a car at all.
Routine MOT pass / fail confirmation for your own car.

The honest summary

HPI Check is not a scam — it pulls in licensed finance, write-off and theft data the DVSA does not hold, and the £19.99 price reflects that real cost. MOT Checkup is not trying to compete with HPI; it is trying to be the best free MOT and mileage history check, and to flag obvious issues before you decide to pay for HPI on top. Used together, they cover most of the buyer-side risk on a used UK car.

Compare other UK vehicle checks

See how MOT Checkup stacks up against the rest.

MOT Checkup vs GOV.UK MOT

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

MOT Checkup vs CarCheck

Two free MOT history tools — feature-by-feature.

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.

MOT vs HPI check — which do I need?

The plain-English answer in 90 seconds.

Frequently asked questions

Is MOT Checkup the same as an HPI check?

No, and they are not trying to be. MOT Checkup is a free MOT and mileage history check based on DVSA data. An HPI Check, sold by HPI Limited (owned by Solera) and at similar paid services, adds outstanding finance, insurance write-off categories and theft register data on top of MOT history. They answer different questions.

What does HPI add over MOT Checkup?

Three categories of licensed data MOT Checkup does not cover: outstanding finance from UK lenders, insurance write-off categories (Cat A, B, S, N), and police-register theft markers. HPI also adds plate change history and mileage discrepancy alerts from broader sources. That data is licensed and not free anywhere.

How much does an HPI Check cost?

HPI Limited's full HPI Check sits at the upper end of the UK paid market — typically around £19.99 for a single report. Several alternative providers offer broadly equivalent data, often for less. The pricing reflects licensed feeds for finance and write-off, not an MOT-only product.

Should I run MOT Checkup before paying for an HPI Check?

Yes. Many MOT history red flags — clocked mileage, repeat advisories on the same component, recent dangerous defects — are visible for free on MOT Checkup. If those rule out the car, you save the cost of an HPI Check. If they do not, the HPI Check then earns its keep on finance and write-off data.

When should I pay for an HPI Check?

On any used car over a few thousand pounds, on any car bought from a private seller you do not know, and especially on anything that may have been repaired after an insurance claim. The £19.99 cost is rounding error against the cost of buying a car still on finance or one that is a Cat S write-off in disguise.

Is HPI Limited the only HPI-style check?

No. HPI Limited (owned by Solera) is the original brand and trades on that history. The phrase 'HPI check' has become a generic term for any paid combined-history report. The AA, RAC, AutoTrader, Total Car Check, MyCarCheck and others sell broadly equivalent reports — often at a lower price than HPI Limited.

Will an HPI Check tell me if a car is stolen?

Yes — that is one of HPI's core data points. HPI queries the Police National Computer (PNC) stolen-vehicle register through licensed access. MOT Checkup does not include stolen-vehicle data in the free check; for that, see /stolen-check or run a paid HPI-style report. A clean MOT certificate is no proof a car is not stolen — testers do not check the theft register.

Does an HPI Check cover Cat S and Cat N write-offs?

Yes. HPI pulls insurance write-off categorisation (Cat A, B, S, and N) from the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR), which only licensed providers can access. MOT Checkup will not show write-off status — a Cat S or Cat N car can pass MOTs cleanly after repair. If you suspect accident damage, the HPI Check is essential.