How to check a used car before you buy it
In order of what actually costs people money, not in order of what is easiest to check. The first three are the ones that can cost you the whole purchase price.
Updated 14 October 2026
1. Is money still owed on it?
If the car is on finance, the lender owns it and can take it back even after you have paid the seller in full. This is the single most expensive mistake in private car buying, and it is invisible without a check: the logbook will not show it.
2. Is it recorded as stolen?
Buying stolen property gives you no legal title to it, whatever you paid and however genuine you were. The car is recoverable by its real owner and you are left with a claim against a seller who has disappeared.
3. Has it been written off?
A write-off is not automatically a reason to walk away, but it changes the price by 10 to 40 per cent, affects insurance, and in the case of Cat A and Cat B means the car should not be on the road at all. You need to know before you negotiate, not after.
4. Does the mileage hold up?
Plot the MOT odometer readings. A line that dips or flattens is a clocked car. This is free and public. There is no excuse for not doing it.
5. Does the paperwork describe this car?
Check the VIN stamped on the car, usually at the base of the windscreen or under the bonnet, against the V5C logbook and against the vehicle record. A mismatch is a reason to leave immediately.
Check the V5C itself: does the seller’s name and address match their ID? Are you at that address? A private sale from a car park is a warning sign.
6. The MOT history, read properly
Do not just check it has a valid MOT. Read every past test. Repeated advisories on the same component across several years mean a fault nobody has fixed. A sudden clean sheet after years of failures can mean a different tester rather than a repaired car.
7. Then, and only then, look at the car
Drive it cold: many faults hide once an engine is warm. Listen at low speed with the windows down. Check every electrical item. Take a mechanic if the car is worth more than a few thousand pounds; an inspection costs a fraction of the mistake it prevents.
A history check tells you what happened to the car. It cannot tell you how it drives. You need both.
Common questions
What is the most important check before buying a used car?
Outstanding finance. If money is still owed, the finance company legally owns the car and can repossess it even after you have paid the seller in full.
Can I check a car for free?
MOT history, mileage readings, tax status and the basic vehicle details are all free and public: Odomint shows them for any registration. Finance, write-off and stolen markers come from private industry databases and are paid.
Is a vehicle history check the same as a mechanical inspection?
No, and it is important not to confuse them. A history check tells you what has happened to the car on paper. Only an inspection tells you the condition it is in now.
Check any car before you buy it
MOT history, every advisory and the full mileage record are free for any UK registration. An Odomint Check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen markers and salvage history, with a £10,000 data guarantee.