How to Check a Car's MOT History for Free (UK)

You can check a UK car's MOT history for free by entering its registration: MotorMkt shows the official DVSA record of status, expiry, each test, failures, advisories and mileage.

By the MotorMkt teamPublished Last updated

How we source our data: our free checks use official records from the DVLA (registration & tax) and DVSA (MOT history). Paid full history data — finance, stolen and write-off markers — is supplied by UK Vehicle Data (UKVD), which aggregates industry registers including MIAFTR (insurance write-offs) and the Police National Computer (stolen markers). MotorMkt does not query those registers directly.

Check the actual vehicle

Checking a vehicle?

Enter its registration to check the official tax, MOT and mileage record free. If you need provenance for a purchase or ownership decision, add finance, stolen and write-off checks.

Free: vehicle identity, tax/SORN, MOT history, mileage and buyer red flags.

Full history: adds outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-off and other paid provenance checks.

The full report is optional. Review the free official record first if you are unsure. Payment is completed securely on the next screen.

What MOT history means

An MOT is the annual roadworthiness test for most cars over three years old in Great Britain. The DVSA keeps the result of each test: pass or fail, the mileage recorded, dangerous and major failures, and advisories. MotorMkt's free check shows the defects the official record returns, grouped into those categories.

That history is public for a registration. It will not tell you about outstanding finance, an insurance write-off or whether the car is recorded stolen. Those sit on other databases and are part of a paid Full History Check. It will tell you how the car has been presented for test, and whether the mileage has moved in a credible way.

DVSA publishes car, motorcycle and van results from 2005, and Northern Ireland results from 2017. A car under three years old often has no MOT yet. That is normal, not a gap.

What you need
  • The vehicle registration, exactly as it appears on the car and the V5C.
  • A few minutes and a phone or laptop.

You do not need the VIN, the seller's details, or an account.

Step-by-step: free MOT check on MotorMkt
  1. Open the free MOT check or the main car check. Both read the same official record.
  2. Enter the registration and run the check.
  3. Read the current MOT status and expiry date first. No valid MOT is a hard stop unless you are buying for repair or export and you understand the rules for driving to a pre-booked test.
  4. Open the full history: every recorded test, the mileage at each test, failures and advisories.
  5. Read the mileage from oldest to newest. A drop between tests is a reason to stop. The free check flags it. See how to spot a clocked car.
  6. Note recurring advisories — corrosion, tyres, brakes, lights. One advisory is ordinary. The same issue left for several tests is not.

The free brief is queried directly from the DVLA and the DVSA. Everything in that free section stays free. Official MOT data is not held behind the paywall.

Buyer checklist
  • Valid MOT? If it expires in days, budget for a retest or walk away.
  • Mileage trend. Steady increases are normal. A drop, or a jump you cannot explain, needs paperwork.
  • Fails that come back. The same major failure reappearing suggests the fault was not fixed.
  • Advisories that never get fixed. Corrosion and brake wear that sit across several tests usually cost more later.
  • Gaps. A long period with no test, on a car that should have been tested every year, is a question to ask. It often means the car was off the road.
Free MOT history vs a Full History Check
QuestionFree MOT / vehicle briefFull History Check
Valid MOT, and when it ends?Yes — DVSAYes, the same free data
Failures and advisories?YesYes
Mileage consistent across tests?Yes — the MOT readings, with drops flaggedYes, plus mileage anomalies from records outside the MOT
Outstanding finance?NoYes, where Experian Automotive returns a record
Insurance write-off?NoYes, where MIAFTR returns a marker
Recorded stolen?NoYes, Police National Computer via Experian Automotive

Use the free MOT history first. If the car is still a contender, unlock Full History on the same report before you travel or pay. The narrower Essential Check covers write-off category and stolen only, and does not include finance. Car checks explained sets out what each paid check includes.

Frequently asked questions
How do I check a car's MOT history for free?
Enter the registration on MotorMkt. The free check reads the official DVSA MOT record and shows the current status, the expiry date, every test returned, the failures and advisories, and the mileage recorded at each test. You do not need the VIN, the V5C or an account.
Does a free MOT check show finance, write-offs or stolen records?
No. The free check is the DVLA vehicle record and the DVSA MOT history. Outstanding finance, insurance write-off markers and stolen markers are paid records supplied under licence. They are not in the free government data, and MotorMkt does not hide the official MOT history behind the paywall.
What does a mileage drop between MOT tests mean?
The mileage recorded at each test should normally rise. A drop is a reason to stop and ask why. It can be a data-entry error, a documented odometer replacement, or a wound-back odometer. The free check flags a drop between tests.
How far back does UK MOT history go?
DVSA publishes car, motorcycle and van results from 2005, and Northern Ireland results from 2017. MotorMkt shows every test the official source returns. A car under three years old often has no MOT yet, which is normal.

Check a registration's MOT history

Read the free MOT, tax and mileage record first. If you are still buying, Full History on the same page is £6.99 instead of £9.99 with code LAUNCH30. That price is one Full History Check.

Run a free check
Related guides

Free MOT check

Status, expiry and every recorded test.

How to spot a clocked car

What a mileage drop between tests can mean.

MOT advisories explained

How to read a fault that keeps coming back.

Free mileage check

Every MOT reading, with drops flagged.