Free Tax & MOT History Check

Free Tax & MOT Checker for UK Vehicles

Whether you're buying a used car, checking your own vehicle is in order, or just want peace of mind before a long journey, our free Tax & MOT Checker gives you instant access to the information that matters. Simply enter a UK registration number — or point your camera at the number plate — and we'll pull back the vehicle's current tax status, MOT status, and a summary of its MOT history in seconds.

There's no account needed, no app to download, and no charge. It works on any device, straight from your browser.

How to Do an MOT Check

Running an MOT check couldn't be simpler. Type the vehicle's registration mark (VRM) into the box above and tap Look Up. Within a few moments you'll see whether the vehicle has a valid MOT, when it expires, and a brief history of previous tests. If you're standing next to a vehicle and don't want to type anything out, use the camera button to take a photo of the number plate — we'll read the plate automatically and run the check for you.

The information is sourced from official DVLA and DVSA records, so you can trust what you're seeing is accurate and up to date.

What Does the MOT History Checker Show?

Our MOT history checker returns more than just a pass or fail. For each vehicle you look up you'll see:

• The current MOT status and expiry date
• A summary of previous MOT tests and their outcomes
• The current road tax (VED) status — taxed or untaxed
• Basic vehicle details including make, model, colour, and year of manufacture

This is particularly useful when buying a used car privately, where the seller may not always volunteer accurate information. A quick MOT history check takes less than a minute and could save you from a costly mistake.

Checking Tax Status Alongside the MOT

It's easy to focus on the MOT and overlook the tax, but driving an untaxed vehicle carries its own penalties — fixed fines, clamping, or even having the vehicle crushed if it's been registered as off-road (SORN) while being used on public roads. Our Tax & MOT Checker shows both statuses together so you can see the full picture in one place.

If a vehicle shows as untaxed, that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything sinister going on — the owner may have simply forgotten to renew, or the record may not have updated immediately after payment. It is, however, worth querying before you hand over any money for a purchase.

Is This MOT Checker Free to Use?

Yes, completely. There are no hidden costs, no subscription, and no sign-up required. You can run as many checks as you need. We built this tool because we wanted a fast, no-fuss way to do a quick MOT check from a phone — especially when standing on a driveway looking at a potential purchase. The camera feature came from exactly that scenario.

When Should You Run an MOT Check?

There are a few situations where doing a quick MOT check is a genuinely good idea:

• Before buying a used car — confirm the MOT is valid and check the history for any patterns of failure or recurring advisories.
• Before a long trip — make sure your own vehicle is legal and that the MOT isn't about to expire mid-journey.
• If you've just inherited or been given a vehicle — it's not always obvious what state a vehicle is in until you check.
• For fleet management — quickly verify the status of multiple vehicles without logging into a separate system.
• General peace of mind — sometimes you just want to double-check, and that's a perfectly good reason.

MOT and Tax Checker

Most online tools make you check MOT status and tax status separately — two different searches, two different pages. Our MOT and tax checker brings both together in a single lookup, so you can see at a glance whether a vehicle is legal to drive without bouncing between services. Enter the registration once and you'll get the MOT status and expiry, the road tax (VED) status, and a summary of MOT history all on the same screen.

This matters more than it might seem. A vehicle can have a perfectly valid MOT but lapsed road tax, or vice versa. Both are required to drive legally on public roads, and both can result in fines, clamping, or prosecution if ignored. Checking them together takes no longer than checking one, so there's really no reason to do them separately.

The tool is particularly handy when buying privately. Sellers don't always volunteer that the tax has expired, and it's not always obvious from a viewing. A thirty-second MOT and tax check before you hand over any money is a simple step that costs nothing and could save you from an immediate expense on top of the purchase price.

What Does MOT Stand For?

MOT stands for Ministry of Transport — the government department that introduced the test back in 1960. The Ministry of Transport no longer exists as a standalone department (it was eventually folded into what is now the Department for Transport), but the name stuck and the test has been known as the MOT ever since. Today the test is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), though you'd be forgiven for not knowing that given how universally the original name has endured.

When the MOT test was first introduced, it only covered a handful of basic checks — lights, brakes, and steering. Over the decades it has expanded considerably, and now covers everything from emissions and tyres to seatbelts, windscreen condition, and horn function. The current test has around 70 individual checks, and since 2018 faults have been categorised as Dangerous, Major, or Minor, replacing the old straightforward pass/fail system for advisory items.

So while the name is a relic of a department that no longer exists, the test itself is very much alive — and a legal requirement for most vehicles over three years old that are used on UK public roads.

How Much Is an MOT?

The maximum fee a garage can charge for a car MOT is set by the government and is currently £54.85. That's the legal cap — many garages charge less than this, and it's common to find deals for £30–£40, particularly at national chains or during promotional periods. The cap applies to standard private cars and light goods vehicles; motorcycles, large vehicles, and specialist categories have different limits.

It's worth being a little cautious with very cheap MOTs, though. A loss-leader test price is sometimes used to get vehicles through the door, after which additional repair work is quoted — work that you may or may not actually need. If a garage you haven't used before is offering an unusually low price, it's reasonable to ask around or check their reviews before booking. That said, plenty of reputable garages genuinely do offer competitive rates, so shopping around is always sensible.

One thing an MOT fee doesn't cover is any repair work needed to pass. If your vehicle fails, you'll need to pay separately for the work and a retest — though many garages offer a free or reduced-rate retest if the work is carried out with them within a set period. Always confirm the retest policy before agreeing to repairs.

When's My MOT Due?

It's surprisingly easy to lose track of when your MOT expires, especially if you've recently bought a vehicle or your renewal falls at a busy time of year. The good news is that finding out takes about ten seconds — just enter your registration number above and we'll show you the current MOT expiry date alongside the rest of the vehicle's details.

A few things worth keeping in mind: your MOT expiry date is printed on the certificate itself, but it's also held on the DVSA database, which is what we query. If you've recently had a test done and the date hasn't updated yet, give it 24 hours and check again. You can also book your next MOT up to a calendar month before the current one runs out without losing any time on the new certificate — so if you're wondering whether it's too early to book, it almost certainly isn't.

MOT Check History

Looking at a vehicle's MOT check history is one of the most revealing things you can do before parting with money for a used car. A single pass result tells you very little on its own — but a pattern of the same advisory appearing year after year, a gap where no test was carried out, or a sudden cluster of failures can tell you a great deal about how a vehicle has been looked after.

When you run a check here, we surface a summary of that history alongside the current status. Things to look out for in any MOT check history include: recurring advisories on brakes, tyres, or suspension; mileage readings that don't follow a consistent pattern (which can indicate clocking); and any periods where the vehicle appears to have been off the road without a SORN declaration. None of these are automatic deal-breakers, but they're all worth asking the seller about before you commit.

Gov MOT Check

The quickest way to verify a vehicle's MOT status through official channels is the gov MOT check service, hosted on GOV.UK. It's maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and gives you access to the complete MOT history for any registered UK vehicle — all at no cost. If you're ever unsure whether the result you're seeing here is up to date, the government service is the definitive source.

It's worth knowing that the gov MOT check and our tool use the same underlying data. The difference is in how you get there — typing a registration manually versus snapping a photo of the plate, and seeing everything laid out in one clean result rather than navigating through multiple pages. For most everyday checks, either will give you exactly what you need.

DVLA MOT Check

Our tool pulls data from official sources, but you can also run a DVLA MOT check directly through the government's own service. The DVLA MOT check on GOV.UK lets you view the full MOT history for any UK vehicle, including detailed test results, advisory items, and mileage readings recorded at each test. It's free to use and requires nothing more than the vehicle's registration number.

Where our Tax & MOT Checker adds value is speed and convenience — particularly the ability to photograph a plate rather than type it out, and having the tax status and MOT status shown together in a single result. For a deeper dive into the full test history, the official DVLA service is always worth bookmarking alongside this one.

Other MOT and Tax Checkers in the UK

There are a number of well-known services offering MOT and vehicle checks in the UK. Here's a look at the main ones and what they offer.

1. GOV.UK — Official DVSA MOT Check

The official government MOT checker is run by the DVSA and is the definitive source for MOT history in the UK. It's completely free, requires no registration, and shows the full test history including pass/fail outcomes, advisory items, and mileage at each test. If you only ever use one tool for MOT checks, this should be it — though it doesn't show tax status, which is where combined checkers like this one add value.

2. RAC Vehicle Check

The RAC vehicle history check is one of the more trusted names in the space, largely because of the RAC's long-standing reputation in UK motoring. Their free check covers MOT status and basic vehicle details, while a paid report adds outstanding finance, write-off history, and stolen vehicle checks. Worth considering if you're buying a used car and want a more comprehensive report in one place.

3. The AA Vehicle Check

Much like the RAC, The AA's vehicle check offers a tiered service — a basic free lookup for MOT and tax status, and a paid full history check covering finance, insurance write-offs, and plate changes. The AA brand carries a lot of weight with UK drivers, and their interface is clean and easy to use on mobile. A solid option for a quick check or a more detailed pre-purchase report.

4. Carwow Free Car Check

Carwow's free car check has grown in prominence alongside the brand's popularity as a car buying and selling platform. Enter a registration and you'll get MOT status, tax status, and a summary of the vehicle's history — all presented in Carwow's characteristically clean, modern style. It's a good everyday checker, and if you're also in the market to buy or sell, Carwow's wider platform makes it a convenient one-stop destination.

5. HPI Check

HPI Check is probably the best-known name in full vehicle history reports in the UK — so much so that "HPI checked" has become a common phrase in used car listings. Their paid report covers outstanding finance, stolen status, write-off history, mileage anomalies, and MOT history. It's not the cheapest option for a basic MOT check, but if you're spending serious money on a used vehicle, the peace of mind a full HPI report provides is hard to argue with.

6. AutoTrader Car History Check

AutoTrader's car history check is a natural fit given that AutoTrader is the UK's largest used car marketplace. Their free check returns MOT status, tax status, and basic vehicle details, while a paid report goes deeper into finance and write-off history. Because so many used car listings are on AutoTrader anyway, being able to run a check without leaving the platform is a genuine convenience.

7. Motorway

Motorway is primarily known as a car selling platform, but their vehicle lookup gives you a quick snapshot of a car's MOT and tax status as part of the valuation process. If you're trying to figure out what a car is worth as well as whether it's legal to drive, Motorway is a useful starting point — particularly for sellers wanting to understand their vehicle's standing before listing it.

8. Confused.com Free Car Check

Confused.com's free car check covers MOT status, tax status, and vehicle details in a straightforward format. As a comparison site, Confused.com naturally points users towards insurance quotes after a check, but the check itself is free and requires no commitment. A decent option if you're already on the site comparing insurance and want to verify the vehicle's status at the same time.

9. What Car? Vehicle Check

What Car? has been a trusted name in UK motoring journalism for decades, and their vehicle check tool is a useful addition to the site. The free lookup returns MOT and tax status alongside basic vehicle information, while a more detailed paid report is available for buyers wanting the full picture. What Car?'s broader editorial content — reviews, reliability data, and running cost guides — makes it a handy all-round resource if you're researching a specific model as well as checking a specific car.

10. Auto Express Vehicle Check

Auto Express is another long-established motoring publication that offers a vehicle check alongside its editorial content. Their tool provides MOT history and tax status for free, and like What Car?, the surrounding content — long-term tests, owner reviews, and reliability surveys — can be genuinely helpful context when you're deciding whether a particular make and model is worth pursuing. Useful for research-minded buyers who want more than just a data check.