Basic car check: vendors compared on published prices

Vendors with an evidenced Basic car check product

A vendor appears here when its own live page for Basic car check answered at the linked URL on the date shown. Prices in the table are each vendor's advertised single-check entry prices; bundle rates and promotional pricing change what you pay on the day.

Choosing a basic check

Know what the tier drops. The usual difference between basic and full is the outstanding finance marker (the single most expensive surprise in a private sale) so read the vendor's own coverage list, linked beside each price, before choosing the cheaper tier.

Run the free checks first either way. Identity, tax and the full MOT mileage series are free on GOV.UK; a basic check is only worth paying for if you still need the write-off layer after them.

Mind the per-check economics. The basic tiers price close to the full tiers' bundle rates: five-check vouchers bring the bigger product under some single basic prices, which matters to anyone checking more than one car.

Common questions

What is the difference between a basic and a full car check?

The basic tier usually carries write-off and identity data but drops the outstanding finance marker, which is the full check's headline feature. Each vendor's own page states its tiers' exact coverage, linked beside the verified prices above.

How much does a basic car check cost?

The priced vendors below advertise the standing figures shown, quoted verbatim from their own pages with retrieval dates. Bundle rates on the fuller products can undercut single basic checks, and both appear in the table.

Is a basic check enough when buying privately?

If the car has finance against it, no: the finance house may still own the vehicle, and the basic tier will not tell you. For real-money private purchases the finance marker is the fact worth paying for; the basic tier suits lower-stakes checks where the free registers have already answered most of the question.