How to check a car’s MOT history
The MOT history of any car tested in Great Britain is public and free to check with just the registration. It shows every pass and fail, every defect and advisory, and the mileage at each test, which makes it the most useful free check there is when buying a used car.
Updated 14 October 2026
What the record shows
For each test: the date, the result, the test centre, the odometer reading, and every defect (dangerous, major and minor) and advisory the tester recorded. The current expiry date is shown too.
Records go back to 2005 for most cars, so a ten-year-old car can show nine or ten years of independent inspections.
How to read it
Look at the mileage first. It should rise every year. A drop, or a year where it barely moves and then jumps, can mean the odometer has been tampered with or the dashboard replaced, worth a direct question to the seller.
Then look at the advisories over time. The same advisory three years running ("front tyres close to legal limit", "brake discs worn") tells you the car was driven to the limit rather than maintained. Advisories that disappear between tests suggest the work was done.
Finally, look at fails and how quickly they were retested. A fail followed by a pass the same day is normal. A fail followed by months with no test can mean the car sat unused, or was driven without an MOT.
What it does not tell you
The MOT history does not show outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, theft or whether the car is a clone. Those come from separate databases, which is what a paid vehicle history check covers.
MOT history in Odomint
Enter any UK registration in Odomint and the full MOT history is laid out as a timeline, free, with mileage plotted so a rollback stands out. If you are buying, an Odomint Check adds finance, write-off and stolen checks on top.
Spotting patterns that matter
Gaps between tests deserve a question. A car with no MOT for a year or two was either off the road under SORN, which is fine, or driven without a valid test, which is not. A long gap followed by a fail list of serious defects suggests the car was left to deteriorate.
Test location is a quiet clue too. If the car has been tested in the same area for years and the seller says they bought it locally, the story fits. If it was tested across the country months ago and the seller claims long ownership, ask why.
Common questions
Is it free to check a car’s MOT history?
Yes. MOT results are public data and free to check for any vehicle tested in Great Britain using only the registration.
How far back does MOT history go?
For most cars, test results are available from 2005 onwards.
Can MOT history show if a car is clocked?
It can reveal it. Each test records the mileage, so a reading lower than a previous test is a strong warning sign.
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.