▸ HPI / Provenance · UK Network
smarthpi.com sits at the heavier end of UK vehicle intelligence. Beyond the standard provenance flags, the report layers in risk scoring, mileage forensics and the kind of follow-on detail that an experienced inspector would normally have to compile by hand. Smart HPI applies AI risk scoring to every UK vehicle report. See not just the data — see the risk.
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 smarthpi.com 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.
If a UK police force has logged the vehicle as stolen on the Police National Computer, that marker is returned in the check. PNC is updated by police forces themselves, so a 'no marker' result reflects the position at lookup time. The check should be re-run on the day of collection for any private purchase, since the record can change between viewing and handover.
Personalised plate transfers are legitimate and common, but a pattern of repeated plate changes — especially around the same period as an insurance write-off — is a known indicator of provenance laundering. The check returns every recorded plate change with the date and, where DVLA records it, the registration that was held immediately before.
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
smarthpi.com 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 smarthpi.com continue to resolve here. If you were referred to smarthpi.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
It confirms that at the moment of lookup no insurer, lender or police force has logged a marker against the vehicle. It does not guarantee mechanical health or undeclared cash repairs. Re-run the check on the day of collection, since records can change between viewing and handover.
Keep the PDF for at least two years. If a dispute later arises with the seller or with an insurer, the dated report is the primary evidence that the issue was either declared or undeclared at the point of sale.
DVLA records are refreshed every 6 hours. MIAFTR and PNC are live at lookup. Finance registers are updated by participating lenders as agreements are opened, settled or transferred.
Yes, for vehicles where the VIN is on record. UK registration plate is the primary lookup; VIN is a fallback for newly-imported or de-registered vehicles.
/ Also in hpi / provenance
/ Begin
One field. A typical lookup completes in under a second, using the same UK vehicle records relied on by trade buyers and insurers.