Valuation — A field study
freevehiclevaluation.com is the cheap first pass. Enter a registration, see whether the advert matches the record, and decide whether the car is worth a journey — before anyone spends money on a full report or a tank of fuel. Free vehicle valuation for any UK registered car or van. Instant independent UK market data. Below: how the underlying records work, and the points where a buyer most often gets caught out.
Data sourced from DVLA, MIAFTR, contracted stolen-vehicle data and the UK lender register at lookup time.
Typical lookup completes in under one second from the UK.
Built and supported in the UK as part of the consumer side of the network.
Factory options recover only a fraction of their original cost, but the fraction varies enormously. Metallic paint and a panoramic roof hold value on premium models; expensive infotainment upgrades rarely do. Where the trim level can be identified with confidence the valuation reflects it, and where it cannot the report says so rather than assuming the higher spec.
No UK data service sees cash repairs, undeclared accident damage, work carried out abroad, or a fault a seller has simply not mentioned. Where a field is unavailable for a particular vehicle the report says so rather than filling the gap with an estimate, because an invented figure on a report used for a purchase decision is worse than an honest blank.
Trade value is what a dealer would expect to pay another dealer or auction. Retail value is the advertised forecourt price after preparation. Private value sits between the two and reflects what a typical private seller actually achieves. The check returns all three on the same screen so you can compare the gap a dealer would expect to take.
/ Brand consolidation
freevehiclevaluation.com has consolidated into Expert Car Check, the UK valuation and history service many of its users already cross-referenced. The data sources are unchanged: DVLA's vehicle record, DVSA's MOT history, MIAFTR for write-offs, contracted UK data providers for stolen-vehicle markers and the UK lender register for outstanding finance. The team and the support contact are the same. What's changed is that the work that was previously spread across several smaller brands now sits in one place, which keeps response times tight and the underlying registers maintained against current DVLA schemas. Bookmarks and historic links to freevehiclevaluation.com continue to resolve here. If you were referred to freevehiclevaluation.com by a previous report, broker or print listing, this is the right page — there is no further redirect to chase.
Visit expertcarcheck.com →/ Common questions
The headline price assumes UK-typical annual mileage (about 7,400 miles). Above-average mileage reduces the figure; below-average increases it. The size of the adjustment depends on the model and the gap.
Some do, most only partially. Metallic paint and desirable roof or drivetrain options hold value on premium models; expensive infotainment upgrades rarely recover much. The valuation reflects trim where it can be identified with confidence.
Yes. A Category S or N marker typically reduces market value by 20-40% on equivalent unmarked cars, depending on make, year and the visible quality of the repair.
No. Comparable transaction data is sparse for classics and the standard model under-reports value. The report flags such vehicles and recommends a specialist valuer's opinion as the primary figure.
/ Also in valuation
What the trade pays.
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The trade's price book.
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One field. A typical lookup completes in under a second, using the same UK vehicle records relied on by trade buyers and insurers.