Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of Expert Car Check at expertcarcheck.com and any landing domain we operate. By running a check, buying a report or using the AI Mechanic you agree to them. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

1. The service

Expert Car Check provides UK vehicle history reports sourced from DVLA, DVSA, MIAFTR, Experian and the Police National Computer where the relevant data is available to us. Reports are informational and are not a substitute for a physical inspection by a qualified VOSA-approved technician.

2. Accuracy and data guarantee

We take reasonable care to present data accurately at the moment it is pulled from our sources. Data can change without notice and historic records may contain gaps. You acknowledge that our reports are advisory and do not replace your own independent due diligence, including a physical inspection by a qualified technician and direct verification with the relevant finance house, insurer, or government register.

£1,000,000 data guarantee — strict eligibility. This guarantee applies only to Expert Car Check vehicle history reports (car checking / data audit) and does not apply to day insurance, short-term insurance, or any insurance product. We guarantee the accuracy of specific Platinum-tier data points up to a maximum of £1,000,000 per vehicle, per claimant, lifetime. This covers only direct, quantifiable, and documented financial loss proven to result from a material inaccuracy in the guaranteed data points listed on our Guarantee page. A printable scope summary is available: download the £1m data guarantee PDF. Claims are subject to all of the following strict conditions; failure to meet any one will void the claim in its entirety:

• Platinum tier only. The guarantee applies exclusively to Platinum-tier reports. Free, Silver, and Gold reports are excluded.
• Correct input mandatory. You must enter the exact VRM and vehicle details at the time of purchase. Any user error — including typos, transposed characters, selecting the wrong vehicle from a dropdown, or entering a cloned or substituted plate — invalidates the guarantee.
• Purchase within 7 days. You must have completed your vehicle purchase within 7 calendar days of the report generation timestamp. Purchases made on day 8 or later are ineligible.
• Notify within 14 days of discovery. You must submit a written claim within 14 calendar days of first becoming aware of the inaccuracy. The clock starts when you receive written evidence from a third party (e.g. finance house, insurer, DVLA) confirming the data was wrong — not when you merely suspect it.
• Independent verification required before claim. Before submitting a claim you must obtain independent, dated written confirmation from the original data source (Experian, MIAFTR, DVLA, DVSA, or Police National Computer as applicable) proving the data point was incorrect on the day the report was generated. A claim without this primary evidence will be rejected summarily.
• Physical inspection required. You must have obtained a pre-purchase physical inspection from a VOSA-approved technician dated within 48 hours of purchase. The report must note no visible evidence of the undisclosed issue (e.g. no sign of previous structural repair on a Category S/N vehicle).
• Not a substitute for insurance. The guarantee is not an insurance policy and is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It does not cover consequential, indirect, speculative, or emotional losses; loss of profit; loss of opportunity; depreciation; or any matter excluded by the source data provider's own terms.
• Preceding loss exclusion. If you already knew, or reasonably should have known, of the issue before buying the report or the vehicle — for example from a prior check, visual inspection, or seller disclosure — the guarantee does not apply.
• Excess applies. The first £500 of any proven loss is borne by you. We will only reimburse losses above £500, up to the £1,000,000 cap.
• Single data point cap. No claim may exceed £100,000 per individual data point (e.g. outstanding finance, write-off status, stolen marker, mileage anomaly, VIN mismatch, scrapped marker), even if multiple losses flow from that single inaccuracy.
• No aggregate stacking. If you run multiple reports on the same vehicle, only the first Platinum report purchased is eligible. You may not combine reports or claimants to increase the cap.
• Mediation prerequisite. Before any court or arbitration proceedings, you must first refer the dispute to an independent mediator appointed by the Civil Mediation Council. You bear all mediation costs unless the mediator finds wholly in your favour.

How to claim. Email claims@expertcarcheck.com with the subject line "Guarantee claim — [VRM]" and include: (i) the original Platinum report; (ii) your dated sale invoice and V5C log book; (iii) the independent source confirmation described above; (iv) the VOSA inspection report; (v) a notarised statement of loss; (vi) bank statements proving the financial loss; and (vii) a detailed timeline. We will acknowledge within 5 working days and aim to decide within 60 working days. Payment, if awarded, is made by bank transfer within 14 working days of your acceptance of our final offer.

You must input the correct data. Our reports depend on the vehicle registration mark (VRM) and any additional details you enter. If you provide an incorrect VRM, wrong vehicle details, or misleading information, the report will reflect that input and we cannot be held liable for errors stemming from your submission. Always double-check the plate and vehicle identity before running a check or buying a report.

3. Pricing and payment

Tier prices are shown at checkout in GBP and are one-off payments. There is no recurring subscription. You will receive a VAT receipt by email.

4. Refunds

Reports are digital goods delivered immediately, so the 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply once the report has been generated. If the data is materially incorrect, contact hello@expertcarcheck.com within 30 days and we will investigate and, where the fault is ours, refund the report.

5. Acceptable use

You may not scrape, resell or systematically extract data from our service. You may not use a report to harass, stalk, defraud or commit any offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 or the Fraud Act 2006.

6. AI Mechanic

The AI Mechanic is an informational assistant. It is not legal, finance, insurance or clinical advice and is not a regulated motor warranty. For a diagnostic verdict on a specific vehicle, consult a qualified technician.

7. Liability

Subject to clause 8, our total liability for any claim arising out of these terms is limited to the greater of (a) the price you paid for the relevant report, or (b) the amount expressly covered by the Platinum data accuracy guarantee.

8. What we don’t exclude

We do not exclude or limit liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, for breach of the implied terms of satisfactory quality, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

9. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, except that consumers may bring proceedings in the courts of their place of residence.