▸ Valuation · UK Network
instantvehiclevaluation.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. Instant UK vehicle valuations. Enter a reg, get trade, retail and private sale prices in seconds. Everything below is written for the UK market specifically: UK registers, UK categories, UK law.
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.
If the report shows nothing of concern, ask to see the V5C in person and compare the VIN on the document to the one stamped on the chassis and printed on the dash. If the report flags something, raise it directly: a Category N write-off is not necessarily a deal-breaker, but a seller who claims a car has no history when MIAFTR shows otherwise is telling you something important about the rest of the conversation.
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.
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.
/ Brand consolidation
instantvehiclevaluation.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 instantvehiclevaluation.com continue to resolve here. If you were referred to instantvehiclevaluation.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
Yes, more than most sellers expect. Convertibles typically peak in late spring and soften from autumn, while four-wheel drives and estates firm up over winter. The swing on the same car can be several percent.
Trade is what a dealer pays another dealer or auction. Retail is the advertised forecourt price after preparation. Private is what a typical private seller actually achieves, sitting between the two.
Different services use different datasets, different definitions of trade vs retail and different update cadences. A 5-10% variation between two reputable services on the same vehicle is normal.
Judge the total cost to change rather than the trade-in figure alone. A generous-looking part-exchange offset by a thin discount on the new car frequently leaves you worse off than the opposite arrangement.
/ Also in valuation
Free vehicle valuation for any UK registered car or van
Free instant car valuation for UK vehicles
Get an accurate UK car valuation alongside your history check
Get an accurate car valuation and full history check together
Today's price. Today.
The trade's price book.
/ Begin
One field. A typical lookup completes in under a second, using the same UK vehicle records relied on by trade buyers and insurers.