Expert Car Check is only as honest as the registers it pulls from. Below is every source we use, what it covers, what it doesn’t, and how fresh the data typically is. We hedge where coverage is partial — no source covers every vehicle in the UK fleet.
DVLA — Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Vehicle identity (make, model, derivative, colour, fuel, CO₂, year of manufacture), current tax status, current MOT status, plate transfer history. Sourced direct from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. Updated in near real time.
DVSA — Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Full MOT history including test date, mileage at test, pass/fail, advisories and failure items by category. Coverage from 2005 onward. Updated within 24 hours of a test being recorded.
MIAFTR — Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register
Insurance write-off categories (A, B, S, N and the legacy C, D), date of loss and the reporting insurer where disclosed. Covers vehicles written off by an insurer that contributes to MIAFTR — the majority of the UK insurance market, but not 100% of salvage. Typically updated within seven days of an insurer notifying.
Experian Vehicles
Outstanding finance agreements registered against a vehicle, including the lender, agreement type and date registered. Coverage depends on the lender reporting to Experian’s vehicle database; most major UK motor-finance providers do.
Police National Computer (PNC)
Stolen-vehicle status as recorded by UK police forces. The flag tells you the vehicle is currently of interest — we don’t publish the originating force or case reference.
Industry valuation guides
Current trade, retail and private valuations are blended from industry valuation guides and live market scrapes. Mileage, condition and regional demand are factored in. Use valuations as a guide, not a price guarantee.
What we don’t do
- We don’t pull the V5C log book record — that’s held by DVLA and requires keeper consent.
- We don’t pull individual service records from dealer DMS systems unless the owner uploads them.
- We don’t guess. If a register doesn’t hold a record, we say so on the report — we don’t invent “no issues found” copy to fill the gap.