Some parts are free, others are paid. DVLA vehicle confirmation (make, model, year) is free. DVSA MOT history is free via the official gov.uk service. Manufacturer service history — the records logged by franchised dealers — is paid because we license that data from the manufacturer aggregator.

Manufacturer service records are commercial data — we pay per-lookup fees to access them. Charging £9.99 covers those fees plus our no-charge guarantee (we still pay the lookup fee even when no records are found, but you don't pay anything).

Free MOT history is available at gov.uk/check-mot-history. Free vehicle details (make, model, year, tax/MOT status) are at gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax. Manufacturer service history is not available for free anywhere we've seen — anyone offering 'free service history' usually means MOT history, which is a different (and much smaller) data set.

No. Card is authorised but not charged at checkout. If we find service history, we capture the £9.99. If we find nothing, we cancel the authorisation — you're never actually charged. Zero risk, no refund admin.

Direct from a franchised main dealer is sometimes free if you call and ask, but it can take days, requires the V5C in some cases, and not all dealers will help non-customers. £9.99 with instant results — and no charge at all if we find nothing — is usually a better trade-off.

Most reports arrive within 1–2 minutes of payment. We submit the lookup to the manufacturer dealer system as soon as the card is authorised. If the dealer system is slow we hold the order and email you the report when it lands — typically the same hour.

No. The manufacturer dealer system only holds records for visits to franchised dealerships. Independent garage services don't appear in the manufacturer database — that's the same gap any main dealer would see if you asked them directly. For independents, look for paper invoices or receipts from the seller.

If you have the 17-character VIN you can run the lookup at /check-service-history-by-vin instead. The VIN route is helpful for imports, vehicles awaiting registration, or auction stock. Otherwise the UK registration (VRM) is the easiest way to identify the vehicle.

Manufacturer digital service records typically start around 2012. Earlier vehicles may have partial or no electronic records — the warning that appears at checkout flags pre-2012 vehicles. If we can't find any records your card isn't charged.

No — an HPI check covers stolen markers, write-off categories, outstanding finance, and mileage anomalies. A service history check covers manufacturer dealer service records and DVSA MOT history. Used-car buyers usually want both: the HPI confirms the car is legitimately for sale; the service history confirms it's been maintained.