MOT-history.net: new way to check MOT history and mileage for second-hand cars online
Government website can help you check up on used cars, but also offers a way to sneak a peak at motors you used to own.
Do you ever think about how your first car is doing? Or if an old banger you shifted years ago is still on the road? Well now there’s a way to find out.
The Government has launched a new website allowing users to easily search the entire MOT history and mileage of second-hand cars.
MOT-history.net has been designed to improve transparency on used car sales by allowing buyers the chance to check up on a motor before making a purchase.
But it’s also proving useful as a way to take a quick look at how cars you used to own are faring today.
How it works
To use the website, you just need a registration number and the make of the car you want to investigate.
The Government’s new site replaces an old service which also required the reference number from a vehicle’s V5C registration document, so now it's much easier to look up a car if you only have limited details.
Once the two bits of information have been entered, you get a comprehensive breakdown of the car’s MOT history, including the MOT test number, mileage when it was last tested and whether the car passed or failed.
Each of the records also revels the reasons for failure if the car didn’t pass the test, and details of any advisory notices for things like worn tyres and damage to the vehicle.
The aim of the website is to provide more transparency to second-hand car buyers that might be concerned about the condition and the quoted mileage claimed by a seller.
It’s also a useful tool to check up on when your existing motor is due an MOT.
The site is curently in ‘Beta’, which means it is still under development by the Government.
There’s another Beta site being tested that will provide further details for registered cars, like CO2 emissions, tax band and when the tax renewal on a vehicle is due.
Is my old banger still going?
At the same time as checking up on your next purchase, the new website is very easy to use to sneak a look at cars you used to own.
For those that didn’t sell their old car through a friend or a family member or even within the area they live, it’s a simple way to check up on how it's faring.
The information the records pull up allows you to see if the vehicle is still on the road and what condition it's in.
I decided to take a look at my old Vauxhall Corsa, which I sold back in 2012. As I sold it through webuyanycar.com (for an easy life) I hadn’t given it a second thought, but I was chuffed to see it was still being driven and had passed its annual check-up every year since we parted ways.
Scrolling down through the records reminded me it was a VERY different story when I owned the car…
So while it's a great new tool for used car buyers to get the much-needed transparency they need when purchasing a second-hand car, the website can be used by anyone with a spare five minutes to take a trip down memory lane.
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