How to check a car's MOT history

Every MOT result since 2005 is on a free public database. Two minutes with it tells you more about a car's condition than most sellers will.

Checked against the MOT inspection manual and GOV.UK guidance · Updated November 2026

How to look it up

1. Go to the official Check MOT history service on GOV.UK.
2. Enter the registration number. That's all you need – no V5C or personal details.
3. You'll see make, model, colour, fuel type, date first registered, MOT expiry date, and every test result with defects, advisories and the recorded mileage.

The service is free and covers cars tested in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland results are available through the DVA. Beware of look-alike sites that charge for the same information.

What to look for

Repeat advisories

The same advisory three years running – "corrosion to rear subframe", say – tells you it's been left to get worse. Expect it to become a failure.

Fail-then-pass on the same day

Normal: the car failed, was repaired at the test centre and passed on retest. Look at what failed – a bulb is trivial; welding is a sign of a car near the end of its economic life.

Mileage

Each test records the odometer. Mileage that goes down, or jumps oddly, can indicate clocking or an instrument cluster swap. Very low annual mileage on a diesel is a warning sign for DPF problems.

Gaps

A year or more with no test usually means the car was off the road (SORN), perhaps after a failure that wasn't fixed. Ask why.

Using it to predict your own next MOT

Pull up your own car's history a month before the test. Everything listed as an advisory last year is the first thing to check. If the list includes corrosion, suspension and brake items together on an older car, get a quote before the test – it may tell you the car is worth more as scrap or sold now than after an expensive repair.

Get an MOT reminder

GOV.UK also offers a free MOT reminder by text or email a month before the due date. Sign up from the same service.