Guides
Everything a UK driver needs to know, in plain English: buying a used car safely, keeping it legal, claiming mileage from HMRC and spending less on fuel.
Buying and selling · MOT · Car tax · Mileage and HMRC claims · Fuel and charging · Running and maintenance · Family and safety
Buying and selling
Write-offs, finance, clones, the logbook and getting the best price.
What is a Cat S car?
Cat S means structural damage, professionally repaired. What it means for value, insurance and safety, and the five questions to ask the seller before you buy.
What is a Cat N car?
Cat N means an insurer wrote the car off for non-structural damage. What that covers, what it does to the price and insurance, and what to ask before buying.
Cat A and Cat B: the two you must never buy
Cat A means scrap only. Cat B means the body shell must be destroyed. Neither should ever be on the road, so here is how to spot one being sold illegally.
How to check if a car has outstanding finance
If money is still owed on a car, the finance company owns it, not the seller. How to check before you pay, and what to do if there is finance on it.
How to spot a clocked car
Clocking is a five-minute job on a digital dashboard. How to read a car’s MOT mileage history, the physical wear that gives it away, and what to do next.
How to check a used car before you buy it
Everything to check before buying a used car in the UK (finance, write-offs, theft, mileage, MOT history and the paperwork) in the order that matters.
How to check if a car is stolen
A stolen car gives you no legal title to it, however much you paid. How the Police National Computer check works, and what to do if a car comes back marked.
How to check a V5C logbook
How to check a V5C logbook is genuine and matches the car: the watermark, the VIN, the keeper’s address and the serial numbers of stolen blank logbooks.
How to spot a cloned car
A cloned car carries another car’s identity. The signs to look for, how to check the VIN, and why a cheap price and a car park meeting are warnings.
What happens if you buy a car with outstanding finance?
If a car still has finance on it, the finance company may own it. When private buyers are protected by law, when they are not, and what to do.
Questions to ask when buying a used car
The questions that reveal a used car’s real history (ownership, finance, service, MOT advisories and why it is being sold) and the answers to worry about.
What to do after buying a used car
Insurance, tax, the V5C, the MOT and service dates: everything to do in the first week after buying a used car, in the order it matters.
How to sell your car privately
Price it right, prepare the paperwork, stay safe with payment, and tell the DVLA. A step-by-step guide to selling a car privately for the best price.
Insurance write-off categories, all of them
Every UK insurance write-off category in one place: what Cat A, B, S and N mean, the old Cat C and D, which can go back on the road and what each does to value.
What is a Cat C car?
Cat C was a write-off category used until October 2017: repair cost more than the car was worth. What it means now, whether it is safe and what to ask.
What is a Cat D car?
Cat D was a write-off category used until October 2017: repairable for less than the car was worth. What it means today, its effect on value, and what to check.
Cat S vs Cat N: what is the difference?
Cat S means structural damage and Cat N non-structural. How they differ on safety, price and insurance, and why the cause matters more than the letter.
How to check if a car has been written off
How to find out whether a used car has been written off before you buy: what the V5C shows, what a history check reveals, the signs to look for and what to ask.
What is a VIN number?
A VIN is a car’s 17-character fingerprint. Where to find it, what it tells you, and why matching it to the V5C is the most important check against a cloned car.
How to tell the DVLA you sold your car
How to tell the DVLA you sold your car online, what happens to your road tax refund, what the buyer must do, and what to do if you do not have the log book.
MOT
What is tested, what it costs, when it is due and how to pass first time.
Can you drive without an MOT?
Driving without a valid MOT risks a fine of up to £1,000 and can invalidate your insurance. The only two exceptions, and how to check your date free.
How to check when your MOT is due
Your MOT due date is the expiry on the current certificate, not a year from the last test. How to check it from the registration, free.
What is an MOT advisory?
An advisory is not a failure. It is a tester telling you what will fail next. Which ones are urgent, and why a repeat matters more than any one.
Average car mileage per year in the UK
Department for Transport figures put the average car at roughly 7,000 to 7,500 miles a year. What counts as high, and what counts as too low.
How much does an MOT cost?
The legal maximum for a car MOT is £54.85, and many garages charge less. What the fee covers, why prices vary, and what a fail and retest cost.
What does an MOT check?
Everything an MOT tester looks at (brakes, tyres, lights, steering, emissions, seatbelts and more) and what it deliberately does not inspect.
The most common reasons cars fail their MOT
Lights, tyres, brakes and suspension cause most MOT failures, and many are things you can check yourself in ten minutes before the test.
MOT defects: dangerous, major and minor
What the three MOT defect categories mean, which ones fail, whether you can drive the car home, and how advisories differ from minor defects.
When does a new car need its first MOT?
A new car needs its first MOT three years after registration (four in Northern Ireland). How to find the exact date and why the first one catches people out.
How early can you get an MOT?
You can MOT a car up to a month (minus a day) before it expires and keep the same renewal date. How the rule works and why booking early is sensible.
Do classic cars need an MOT?
Cars over 40 years old can be exempt from the MOT if they have not been substantially changed. How the exemption works and why many owners test anyway.
How to check a car’s MOT history
Every MOT result since 2005 is public for any UK registration. How to check it free, what it shows, and how to read it like a mechanic would.
Car tax
What you pay, when it runs out, SORN and electric cars.
How to check if a car is taxed
Road tax status is public and free to check from the registration. What SORN means, and why tax no longer transfers when a car is sold.
What happens if your car tax runs out
An £80 late licensing penalty, a possible clamp, and a fine of up to £1,000 if it reaches court. What the DVLA actually does, in what order, and how quickly.
How much is car tax?
Car tax for 2026/27: the £200 standard rate, first-year rates by CO2, the £440 expensive car supplement and what electric cars now pay.
The expensive car supplement explained
Cars with a list price over £40,000 (£50,000 if electric) pay £440 a year extra for five years. How the list price is worked out and how to check.
Do electric cars pay road tax?
Electric cars have paid vehicle tax since April 2025: £10 in year one, then the standard rate. The supplement threshold and what older EVs pay.
Does car tax transfer when you buy a car?
Vehicle tax does not transfer when a car is sold. The seller gets a refund, the buyer must tax it before driving, and what to do on collection day.
What is a SORN?
A SORN tells the DVLA a car is off the road so it needs no tax. When to use one, how to make one, what you cannot do, and how to reverse it.
Mileage and HMRC claims
The 55p rate, what counts as business mileage and the records to keep.
Claiming mileage from HMRC: how 55p a mile works
How HMRC mileage allowance works: 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles and 25p after, what counts as business travel, and the record to keep.
Business mileage rules: what actually counts
Which journeys count as business mileage, what a temporary workplace means, and the record-keeping HMRC expects if they ask.
Mileage Allowance Relief explained
If your employer pays less than 55p a mile, you can claim tax relief on the difference. Who qualifies, how to work it out and how to claim.
Can you claim mileage for your commute?
Your normal commute is not business mileage, but some journeys from home are. Temporary workplaces, the 24-month rule and the common mistakes.
What should a mileage log include?
The records HMRC expects for a mileage claim: dates, routes, purpose and miles. How long to keep them and how to make logging automatic.
Claiming mileage when you are self-employed
Sole traders can claim 55p a mile with simplified expenses or claim actual vehicle costs. Which is better, the rules on switching, and record keeping.
Odomint vs MileIQ
Looking for a MileIQ alternative in the UK? Odomint vs MileIQ on free limits, price, HMRC rates and privacy, side by side. Checked October 2026.
Odomint vs Driversnote
Looking for a Driversnote alternative? Odomint vs Driversnote on free trip limits, price, teams and everything beyond the mileage log. Checked October 2026.
MileIQ vs Driversnote
MileIQ vs Driversnote for UK drivers: free limits, prices and who each suits, from their own UK pages. Plus a third option if you want more than mileage.
The best mileage tracker apps in the UK
The best mileage tracker apps for UK drivers in 2026: MileIQ, Driversnote and Odomint on free limits, price, HMRC rates and extras. Checked October 2026.
Fuel and charging
Cheaper petrol and diesel, EV charging speeds and costs.
How to find the cheapest petrol near you
Since February 2026 every UK forecourt must report its prices within 30 minutes. How to use live prices to find cheap petrol and diesel nearby.
The Fuel Finder scheme, explained
What the government’s Fuel Finder scheme is, why every forecourt now has to publish prices, how fast they must update and what it means for drivers.
How to save fuel when driving
Practical, proven ways to use less fuel (tyre pressures, speed, smoother driving, less weight) and how much difference each one really makes.
EV charger speeds explained
Slow, fast, rapid and ultra-rapid chargers explained: the kW, the connectors, how long each takes and which one to use when.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
Home versus public charging costs in 2026: rapid chargers average around 80p per kWh, home charging is far cheaper. How to work out cost per mile.
Running and maintenance
Servicing, clean air zones and keeping the car healthy.
Is my car ULEZ compliant?
Most petrol cars from 2006 and diesels from late 2015 meet the ULEZ standard. How to check yours, what the daily charge is, and the exceptions.
Interim vs full service
An interim service is a six-monthly check; a full service is the yearly one. What each includes, how often you need them and whether a service affects warranty.
How to check if a car is insured
How to check whether a car is insured using the Motor Insurance Database, what to do if your car does not show, and the penalties for driving uninsured.
How to check if your car has a recall
Check if your car has been recalled with the DVSA’s free service and your registration. What a recall means, who pays for the fix and what to do next.
Family and safety
Sharing cars and locations with the people who matter.
Choosing a family location sharing app
Share your location with family only when you choose: per-group control, arrival alerts without a constant trail, and what a good app should never upload.
Odomint vs Life360
Want a Life360 alternative that does not track everyone all day? Odomint Circles share cars, drives and arrivals with family, free for all of them.