Best used car checks 2020
We’re counting down our top 5 online car checking services going from the least to most favourite.
There are so many car check solutions out on the marketplace. A lot of these like, AA Car Check, Total Car Check, My Car Check and Instant Car Check.
Some of the above checks are cheap; some are even completely free. But what do you actually get for your money when you purchase a check with these providers?
Keep reading till the end to find out about one of the best, newest car history check solutions on the market today.
Reveal its history, future risks and costs
5. AA Car Check
Out of all the services listed here, AA Car Check has one of the simplest pricing models, but is far too expensive with a history check costing £14.99 and discounts available for buying checks in bulk. That being said, there are many alternatives that are more competitively priced and comprehensive. For example, the AA vehicle check doesn’t offer service history, running cost and keeper change dates, which is why we’ve listed it as the least favourable option.
4. Instant Car Check
While a lesser-known provider, Instant Car Check offers car and vehicle checks cheaper than more established brands. The basic check, which includes details such as whether the car in question has been cloned, along with valuation, MOT history and VIN-chassis match costs £1.99. For £5.99, your check can include whether the said vehicle has been stolen, written off or been imported/exported. Although, you’ll pay an additional £4.99 to check finance, another £2.99 for mileage history and then another £2.99 to check safety recalls – per check, making it a total of £16.96!
While much more cost-effective, it’s still not the best deal on this list (keep reading below).
 Pay As You Go £7.99 |  30-Days Access £10.99 |  £19.99! | |
Buyers Report / Full Check Others offer less detailed ‘full checks’ or ‘gold checks’ – only we offer comprehensive buyers reports. | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Unlimited Car Checks Only we offer unlimited checks! | |||
Still On Finance Will show details of the agreement terms and company if the vehicle is on finance. | |||
Stolen or Written Off Shows if the vehicle is marked as stolen or has previously been written-off. | |||
Compare Used Cars Compare the specs of used cars from any website | |||
Service Schedules Shows what services should have been done on the car and any that are due in the future. Includes cost, mileage and major servicing parts. | |||
Repairs Coming Up Shows what repairs should have been done on the car and any that are due in the future. | |||
MOT Failure Predictor Our unique platform will show you what a vehicle is likely to have issues with at its next MOT. powered by  | |||
ex-Taxi Check Shows you if the vehicle has been a taxi or private hire vehicle in the past. These vehicles can have unusual wear and tear and are normally high mileage. | |||
ex-Salvage Check Shows you if the vehicle has been through a salvage sale normally used by Insurance Companies to dispose of vehilcles that are beyond economical repair. |
 Pay As You Go |  30-Days Access |  | |
£6.99 | £10.99 | £19.99! | |
Buyers Report / Full Check Others offer less detailed ‘full checks’ or ‘gold checks’ – only we offer comprehensive buyers reports. | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Unlimited Car Checks Only we offer unlimited checks! | |||
Still On Finance Will show details of the agreement terms and company if the vehicle is on finance. | |||
Stolen or Written Off Shows if the vehicle is marked as stolen or has previously been written-off. | |||
Compare Used Cars Compare the specs of used cars from any website | |||
Service Schedules Shows what services should have been done on the car and any that are due in the future. Includes cost, mileage and major servicing parts. | |||
Repairs Coming Up Shows what repairs should have been done on the car and any that are due in the future. | |||
MOT Failure Predictor Our unique platform will show you what a vehicle is likely to have issues with at its next MOT. powered by  | |||
ex-Taxi Check Shows you if the vehicle has been a taxi or private hire vehicle in the past. These vehicles can have unusual wear and tear and are normally high mileage. | |||
ex-Salvage Check Shows you if the vehicle has been through a salvage sale normally used by Insurance Companies to dispose of vehilcles that are beyond economical repair. |
3. Total Car Check
Similar to the previous option, TotalCarCheck isn’t that well known but offers appealing pricing. It’s basic check will cover things like mileage and MOT history. It’s Gold Full Check, for £8.99 offers everything from valuation to write-offs and outstanding finance along with a £30,000 guarantee.
2. My Car Check
This well-established vehicle history checker has been operating since 2005. It’s one of the cheapest providers on the market, with three pricing level options available. While you can conduct a free history check here, their basic check costs £1.99 while their full-service check costs £9.99. Though My Car Check offers a quality solution at competitive pricing, it isn’t entirely comprehensive.
The main issue with all vehicle checks above is that they are not necessarily user friendly and it seems that outstanding finance is one of the most important pieces of data they provide. We feel that there is more that needs looking at apart from outstanding finance when buying a used car. Therefore a fully comprehensive and a more user friendly solution was needed and that’s why we created Car Guide.
1. Car Guide
One might say we’re being a little biased here, but preference aside, there are several very good reasons why Car Guide takes the top spot on this list. Here are 3 of them:
- We give 30-days access – For one, unlike all the other providers on this list, Car Guide operates on a 30-days access subscription model. So instead of paying for individual checks, you’re paying a 30-days access. Unlike with any other provider, with Car Guide you get 30 days access to the platform for £9.99, where you can add unlimited number of cars to your shortlist, compare them against each other and you also get 2 fully comprehensive buyer’s reports, and take all the time you need to make your purchase decision.
- Fully comprehensive buyer’s guides – We don’t believe in basic vehicle history checks that tell you very little. Our Buyer’s Guides are fully comprehensive, meaning in them we cover everything from what to watch out for during a test drive, mileage discrepancies, MOT status, MOT history, number of previous owners/ registered keepers, number plate changes, service schedules and repair data, to whether a car’s been stolen, written off or has outstanding car finance. On top of this, we offer additional information (covered in our next point).
- AI-powered predictions – What really sets Car Guide apart from the crowd is its built-in machine learning. Not only will our platform tell you about a car’s history, but it will also tell you about its future. Drawing on data points from over 700 million MOTs, Car Guide can tell you how much it will cost to run a particular car and also what repairs it’s likely to need post-purchase.
Want to make your next car purchase decision an easy one? Try Car Guide today, all you need is registration number. Our mission is to help car buyers to make the right decision, whether they are buying from a private seller or car dealers/dealership.
