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Data sources

Last updated: 15 September 2026

This page explains where the information shown by Car Control comes from, how we are allowed to use it, how our own analysis works, what each paid tier adds, and what the Service cannot tell you.

1. Where the data comes from

We use the following data sources, and no others:

  • DVSA MOT History API. This is our core data source for MOT test history. It provides MOT test dates, test results (pass or fail), recorded odometer (mileage) readings at each test, and the defects and advisories noted at each test. It is used in the free preview, the Basic report and the Premium report.
  • DVLA vehicle record data. Where available, this provides details such as make, colour, fuel type, engine size, CO2 emissions, vehicle tax status and the date tax is due, MOT status, year of manufacture, month of first registration, the date the last V5C registration certificate was issued, whether the vehicle is marked as exported, and the vehicle's Euro emissions status. Access to this data on the DVLA side is limited, and new registrations for it are currently closed. Because of this, the DVLA vehicle record shown for a given registration depends on the access we already hold, and is shown only where available. The Service still works from MOT history data alone where a DVLA record cannot be shown.
  • CheckCarDetails Ltd. This is a commercial vehicle data supplier. We use it for the DVSA and DVLA derived MOT and vehicle data described above where this is more reliable or complete to obtain through them than directly, and, for the Premium report and the 3 Premium reports pack only, for commercial vehicle history, valuation and specification data that DVSA and DVLA do not hold or provide: insurance write-off and damage records, outstanding finance, stolen vehicle records, scrapped and certificate of destruction status, import and export status, plate change history, colour change history, the date first registered, the number of previous keepers and the dates of keeper changes, market valuation, and factory specification. CheckCarDetails Ltd is a business we pay to access this data; it is not a government body.

We send only the registration number you enter to these sources. We do not hold or show personal details of a vehicle's keeper, such as a name or address, at any tier.

2. Why paid reports cost money when MOT records are free on GOV.UK

The MOT test history that our Basic and Premium analysis is based on is not private data that only we can access. Anyone can look up the same MOT test history for a vehicle, free of charge, directly on GOV.UK, at gov.uk/check-mot-history. We think you should know this before you decide whether to pay us.

When you pay for a Basic report, you are not paying for access to MOT information that would otherwise be hidden from you. You are paying for the work we have done to turn raw MOT records into something easier to use: a mileage timeline and chart built from the raw readings, automatic flags for mileage that has gone down between tests, gaps between tests, unreadable odometers, a comparison with typical national mileage, a list of every test with its failures, defects and advisories set out clearly, and recurring problems grouped together so you can see patterns across tests.

When you pay for a Premium report or the 3 Premium reports pack, you are paying for that same analysis plus commercial vehicle history, valuation and specification data from CheckCarDetails Ltd, which is not available free on GOV.UK and which we in turn pay CheckCarDetails Ltd to access.

Our free preview and our checkout page tell you this before you pay, and our Terms of Use set out exactly what each tier contains and what it does not contain.

3. What the free preview shows, and does not show

The free preview shows the vehicle's make, model, colour, fuel type and year, whether it is currently taxed, its current MOT status and expiry date, how many MOT tests are on record (passes and fails) and the date range they cover, and a count of mileage issues and MOT issues we have found in the records, without the details behind that count. We only ever report a count where we have found something specific in the records: the preview does not state or imply that an issue exists where none has been found. The free preview does not show, and does not hint at, anything about insurance write-off history, outstanding finance or stolen status, because we do not obtain that data from CheckCarDetails Ltd unless and until a Premium report is bought. Where the preview refers to this at all, it says only that the Premium report checks these things, never what the result would be.

4. Licensing and attribution

Data from DVSA and DVLA is Crown copyright and is made available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 ("OGL"). The OGL lets us copy, publish and adapt this information, including for commercial purposes, provided we acknowledge the source. Where the relevant department has not specified its own attribution wording, the OGL requires the following statement:

"Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0."

We display this attribution, or an equivalent statement naming DVSA and DVLA, on pages of the Site that show government vehicle or MOT data. The short form we use on individual result pages is set out in our internal attribution file and reads: "Contains DVSA and DVLA data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0."

The commercial vehicle history, valuation and specification data shown in a Premium report or pack is supplied by CheckCarDetails Ltd under our commercial agreement with them, not under the Open Government Licence, and is not Crown copyright.

Using government data under the OGL does not mean that DVSA, DVLA, or any other government department or the Crown, endorses Car Control, our analysis, or any conclusion we draw from their data. Using CheckCarDetails Ltd's data under our commercial agreement with them does not mean that CheckCarDetails Ltd endorses Car Control or our analysis either. We do not state or imply any such endorsement anywhere on the Site.

In line with the terms of use published for DVSA and DVLA data, and our agreement with CheckCarDetails Ltd, we also:

  • do not misrepresent the data or present it as more authoritative or current than it is;
  • do not imply that DVSA, DVLA or CheckCarDetails Ltd have reviewed or approved our analysis;
  • keep our API access keys and credentials confidential and secured, and do not share them with third parties;
  • respect the rate limits and usage conditions set by each source, and only query a registration number when a user of the Site asks us to; and
  • only cache or store the minimum data reasonably needed to provide and briefly retain a record of the Service, as described in our Privacy Notice.

If you want to reuse DVSA or DVLA data yourself, you should check the current terms of use published by DVSA and DVLA directly, since these can change and are not set by us.

5. Geographic coverage

The DVSA MOT History API covers MOT tests held by DVSA for vehicles tested in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and in Northern Ireland, including tests carried out by Northern Ireland's Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA NI), as well as commercial vehicle tests (heavy goods vehicles, trailers, buses and coaches). Test history is available from 2005 onwards where records exist, but the exact starting point can vary by vehicle and test type. Coverage can change over time, and very recent tests may take a short time to appear. Always check the test dates shown against your own expectations for the vehicle.

6. How our mileage analysis works

Using the MOT test history for a vehicle, we build:

  • A mileage timeline, plotting the odometer reading recorded at each MOT test in date order.
  • Mileage flags, which highlight where a later reading is lower than an earlier one, as this can (but does not always) indicate a clocking issue, an odometer replacement, a unit change, or a recording error.
  • Gaps between tests, showing where there is a longer than expected interval between MOT tests, which can (but does not always) suggest the vehicle was off the road, exported, or simply not used.
  • A comparison with typical national mileage for a vehicle of similar age, to give you a general sense of whether the mileage looks unusually high or low. This comparison uses the average annual mileage figure published in the Department for Transport's National Travel Survey 2024 (around 7,100 miles per year for cars in England), which is a general published statistic about travel in England, not personal data about any individual or vehicle. This is a general guide only and does not account for the specific history or use of an individual vehicle, and does not reflect mileage patterns outside England.
  • Recurring advisories, which group together similar advisory notes recorded across multiple tests, so you can see whether the same issue has been flagged more than once.

This analysis is based entirely on the odometer readings and test notes recorded by MOT testers and submitted to DVSA. We do not independently verify any reading, and we cannot detect every case of mileage discrepancy, undisclosed accident damage, or other issues. A vehicle with no flags is not guaranteed to be free of problems, and a vehicle with a flag is not automatically evidence of wrongdoing; always ask the seller to explain any flag and check supporting documents. The free preview tells you how many mileage and MOT issues we have found, without the details. Full details of what is, and is not, included in each paid tier are set out in our Terms of Use.

7. No data guarantee

We give no guarantee about the accuracy, completeness or currency of the underlying DVSA, DVLA or CheckCarDetails Ltd data, at any tier, and we do not operate a compensation scheme for inaccuracies in that data. This is because we do not create or verify the underlying records: we display and analyse data supplied to us by DVSA, DVLA and CheckCarDetails Ltd. See our Terms of Use for how this affects refunds and liability.

8. What the check cannot tell you

Because a Basic report only uses DVSA and DVLA data, it cannot tell you whether the vehicle has been declared an insurance write-off, whether it has outstanding finance owed on it, or whether it has been reported stolen. A Premium report and the pack add this from CheckCarDetails Ltd, but even then, Car Control cannot tell you:

  • who currently owns or keeps the vehicle, or any personal details about a previous keeper;
  • the vehicle's service history, or any previous adverts for it;
  • whether the mileage or other details recorded are actually correct, only what has been reported to DVSA, DVLA or CheckCarDetails Ltd; or
  • the mechanical condition of the vehicle right now.

Because DVLA vehicle record access is shown only where available, as explained in section 1, some vehicle record details such as tax status, CO2 figures or the date of the last V5C may not be shown for every registration number, even where MOT history is shown.

If CheckCarDetails Ltd holds no historical records at all for a vehicle, we cannot check write-off, finance or stolen status for it, but we still deliver the MOT and mileage part of your Premium report, and we automatically add a free Premium credit, valid for 12 months, to your account. See our Cancellation and Refund Policy for full detail.

Because of this, before you buy, sell, insure or finance a vehicle you should also inspect it yourself, check the V5C registration certificate carefully, and arrange an independent mechanical inspection. See our Terms of Use for the full list of what is, and is not, included in each tier.

9. Related pages