CarHistory

What is CarHistory?

CarHistory is a free UK used-car research tool built around official DVSA MOT records. It lets you pull up every MOT since 2005 for a vehicle — the result, the recorded faults and the mileage — without creating an account. Alongside the individual check, it publishes first-time MOT pass rates for 457 UK car models by first-use year, so you can see how a model performed at its first test compared with other cars of the same age. The methodology is open, and the underlying data is available as free CSV downloads.

Who it's for

• Private used-car buyers — who want to see a car's full test history before handing over money.
• First-time buyers comparing models — who need a like-for-like sense of which cars hold up at their first MOT.
• Data-curious shoppers and researchers — who want open methodology and downloadable CSV data rather than a black-box score.

Key features

Full MOT history since 2005

Every recorded MOT is shown with its result, the faults noted and the mileage at the time. A mileage drop is flagged, so an inconsistent record is easy to spot.

First-time MOT pass rates by model and year

Pass rates for 457 UK car models are broken down by first-use year and compared against same-age cars. The comparison is expressed as a points difference, so a strong or weak result stands out clearly.

Open methodology and free CSV downloads

The approach behind the figures is published openly, and the data can be downloaded as CSV. That makes the numbers checkable rather than something you have to take on trust.

No-account checking with a short retention window

The check is free and needs no sign-up. Your registration never appears in the web address, and the result is held on the server for 15 minutes under a scrambled copy of the registration before being discarded.

What stands out

The MOT record is free — knowing what to look for is the hard part.

That framing shapes the whole product. Rather than stopping at a raw history, CarHistory explains how to read it: a fail followed by a quick pass usually means a fix and retest, while a mileage drop or a repeated advisory is worth raising with the seller. It is also candid about limits — outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, reported theft and number plate changes are not in MOT records, and the site says so plainly.

Worth checking out if…

You're buying privately and want the MOT history plus guidance on interpreting it before you pay. It's equally useful if you're shortlisting models and want first-time pass rates compared fairly against same-age cars, or if you prefer open data you can download and examine yourself.