UK vehicle checks, clearly done.
Caroat is a free UK vehicle check by number plate. Official records, more of it free than anywhere else.
- Instant results
- Most checks free
- Full check: £6.99
Make / model
Before you buy
What is it hiding?
Free MOT, tax and mileage check. Finance, write-off and stolen in the £6.99 report.
2 FULL CHECKS
£9.99
Claim offerStolen · Write-off · Outstanding finance · Valuation · Import/export
Premium Report
Full history for one clear price.
£6.99
- Finance
- Write-off
- Stolen
- Valuation
Important: Premium checks include the key risk checks that free checks do not, including finance, stolen and write-off history.
Get premium reportWhy a premium report?
Free MOT and tax do not show finance, write-off or stolen. This report does.
- Finance, write-off and stolen in one report
- Import, export and plate changes
- Keepers, mileage pattern and a value guide
Two reports £9.99. Pay once. No subscription.
Guides & advice
Outstanding finance check on a used car
How to check if a used car is stolen
Insurance write-off categories explained
How to check a used car before you buy
Running costs
Understanding MOT advisories
Built for UK buyersOfficial data first. Full history when you need it.
Premium Report
Before you buy
- Check MOT advisories
- Match VIN to V5C
- Compare mileage pattern
- Check keeper changes
4 things worth checking first
View buying checklistHow old, and where from?
Letters are the town. Digits are the year.
GBOAT
March 2021 to August 2021
- YKRegistered in Leeds
- YYorkshire area
March is the year. September adds 50.
Popular makes
Any UK make, any age
Every registration we look up keeps its own page, so a car checked once can be checked again without paying twice. Browse by make, or enter a plate to see one straight away.
See every vehicle checkedSecure. Private. Always.
Checks are encrypted, with clear one-off pricing.
No subscription.
Learn more about CaroatFrom people who checked a car
What people say after a check.
Tried Caroat for first time after seeing some adverts, it's really easy to use, very comprehensive report, and the data was up to date. Brilliant.
Very useful tools, and has turned into my daily car checking platform, thank you Caroat.
It saved me a fortune flagging a hidden finance where other reports showed it as settled, but Caroat revealed that it had not been settled, potentially saving me £7k.
CAROAT GUIDES
Useful reads before you buy
Clear UK car advice, useful checks and practical guides from Caroat.
UK used car market ranked most transparent, according to carVertical
According to carVertical’s Market Transparency Index, the UK ranks first among 30 countries. See the score, the six factors, and what it means for buyers.
Mileage rollback: How MOT and VIN checks find clocked cars
How official MOT readings, service records, VIN identity and physical wear can expose a mileage inconsistency.
Outstanding finance check on a used car
What a UK outstanding finance check shows, what free MOT and tax miss, and how to buy without taking on someone else's loan.
How to check a used car before you buy
A practical checklist covering history, mileage, MOT records, finance and paperwork before you pay.
Can a motorhome really pay £1 road tax?
Why some owners are quoted a £1 HGV rate, who can use it and why private motorhomes usually cannot.
What can you find from a UK registration number?
From MOT and tax to mileage, identity and history checks, see what a UK registration can reveal.
Inside a report
This is what you actually get
A real report, not a screenshot. Pick a check to see how it reads.
Is the vehicle still on finance?
If a lender still has a claim, they can take the car back. The seller keeps what you paid.
- Searched against
- The UK finance register
- Agreement types
- PCP, HP, lease, unit stocking
- Report shows
- Agreement type, date and status
- Recorded by
- The lender, not the seller
Source: UK Finance Register
What is a Caroat car check?
A Caroat car check is a UK vehicle lookup that starts with the number plate. Type a registration and the free check returns the MOT record, every mileage reading on file, the current tax and SORN position, and the full factory specification, at no cost and with no account. Most UK check sites charge for part of that. Caroat does not.
The optional Caroat Premium Report costs £6.99 once, or £9.99 for two, with no subscription. It adds the checks that decide whether a car is safe to buy: outstanding finance, write-off and damage categories, a stolen marker, previous keepers, plate changes, import, export and scrap markers, VIN identity and a value guide. It is one of the cheapest full history reports in the UK, and one of the most complete.
- Free, always
- MOT history and advisories, tax and SORN, mileage readings, specification, road tax rates.
- £6.99 premium report
- Finance, write-off, stolen marker, keepers, plate changes, import and export, VIN identity, valuation.
- Two reports £9.99
- Pay once for two premium reports. Use them when you need them. No subscription.
Check any UK vehicle
Instant MOT history, tax, mileage and full risk checks.