▸ MOT, Tax & ULEZ · UK Network
motguide.co.uk is a UK vehicle-data tool that takes a single registration and returns what the official records actually say about the car behind it. No upsold marketing copy in front of the data, no fabricated "risk indicators" pulled from nothing — the report shows what is on file and where it came from. The UK MOT guide. Pre-test checks, common fails and category-by-category breakdowns to pass first time.
Data sourced live from DVLA, MIAFTR, PNC 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.
/ Insurance shortcuts
Most people checking a vehicle on motguide.co.uk need cover for it within the same day or week. Rather than send you back to a comparison site, the four panels below route directly to UK specialists for the most common short-notice insurance situations.
Fully comprehensive 1–28 day cover on any UK car you don't own. Quote in under two minutes, policy documents and MID registration delivered before you set off.
Get a day quote →via TempcoverLearner driverShort-term learner insurance for new and provisional drivers on a borrowed or family car. Claims are isolated to the learner's policy so the car-owner's no-claims bonus is protected.
Quote learner cover →via VeygoImpounded releaseStandard annual insurers routinely refuse impound cases. This is the specialist 30-day standalone policy every UK pound and police force accepts. Documents in minutes.
Quote impound cover →via Tempcover ImpoundedAnnual comparisonAnnual fully comprehensive quotes from the UK panel of insurers, with named-driver, telematics and classic-car options included on the same quote stack.
Compare annual →via Confused.comWe earn a commission on policies bound through these partners. The commission does not affect the price you are quoted.
A passed MOT is valid for 12 months from the test date, but you can test up to a month before expiry and keep the existing expiry date — effectively giving 13 months of cover. The check returns the current expiry date and the earliest date you can re-test without losing the surplus.
Genuine DVLA V5C documents are printed on red-and-yellow secure stock with a watermark visible when held to light, plus a serial number that can be verified directly with DVLA. The check returns the serial number on record. If it does not match the V5C presented at viewing, treat the document as suspect and verify with DVLA before completing.
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.
/ Brand consolidation
motguide.co.uk is now part of Expert Car Check — the consolidated UK vehicle-data platform that several of these older brands have joined. The data sources are unchanged: DVLA's vehicle record, DVSA's MOT history, MIAFTR for write-offs, the Police National Computer feed for theft markers and the UK lender register for outstanding finance. The team, the underwriting partners 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 motguide.co.uk continue to resolve here. If you were referred to motguide.co.uk 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
Broadly: petrol Euro 4 (2005 onwards), diesel Euro 6 (2015 onwards), motorcycles Euro 3 (2007 onwards). The check returns the recorded Euro classification rather than guessing from year.
First-year VED on cars after 2017 is calculated on CO2 emissions. Year-two onwards uses a flat standard rate plus a £390 supplement for cars over £40,000 list price (years 2-6 only).
Genuine DVLA V5Cs are printed on red-and-yellow secure stock with a watermark visible against light, plus a serial number that verifies with DVLA. If the serial doesn't verify, treat the document as suspect.
Statutory Off-Road Notification — a declaration that the vehicle is not used on public roads. A SORN'd vehicle doesn't need VED or insurance, but cannot be parked on the public highway.
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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.