Essential guides for buying a used car in the UK — MOT checks, HPI, negotiation tactics, consumer rights, and how to spot a clocked or cloned car.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.
The six reports in the £5.99 Essential Pack come to £17.94 bought one at a time. Here is the full pack-versus-single comparison, and the cases where buying single reports is still the better call.
What the Current Valuation report shows: Brego values from £2.99 and UKVD values from £1.99, where the figures come from, and how to use them to negotiate.
What the £1.99 Desirability rating and £1.99 Market demand scores show, how Brego and Percayso build them from live adverts, and how to use them.
What the £5.99 Factory Build Sheet shows: the derivative and each factory option code fitted to the VIN, via OneAuto, and how to check a seller’s spec claims.
What the £1.99 Standard and £2.99 Enhanced Price Predictor show, how Marketcheck builds the figure from live adverts near you, and how to use it in an offer.
What the £2.99 Salvage Bid Predictor shows for a Cat S or Cat N car: predicted auction bid, bid range and category-adjusted retail range, and how to use them.
The £11.99 Shortlist Pack runs a Full Provenance Report on three registrations and the five Essential extras on car 1 only. What that covers, what it does not, and how to use it in the right order.
What the £1.99 Spec & Options report shows: identity, status, model data, weights, engine, Euro NCAP, performance and economy from UK Vehicle Data.
A plain guide to all ten SortedCars Car Check Packs, from the £2.99 Seller Pack to the £24.99 Premium Protected Pack. What each one contains, which situation it suits, and which three packs contain no provenance report.
V5C logbook explained for UK car buyers. What each section means, how to spot a fake, what it doesn't prove, and DVLA transfer process.
A five-minute MOT history check can save you thousands in hidden repair bills. Learn how to read MOT advisories, spot clocking, and negotiate smarter.
Most expensive used-car mistakes are made before the viewing, not at it. The order that works: check the car's paper trail first, view it second, and only talk money once you know what you're looking at. A car's MOT history is free to check and tells you how it has actually been cared for — recurring advisories, mileage that jumps or dips, and failures that were patched rather than fixed. Run the registration through our free car check before you travel; it takes seconds and has saved plenty of buyers a wasted trip.
At the viewing, match the car to its paperwork. The VIN on the windscreen and under the bonnet should match the V5C logbook, and the person selling should be the keeper named on it — at the address where you're viewing. A seller who wants to meet in a car park or lay-by is a red flag, not a convenience.
Your rights depend on who you buy from. A dealer sale is covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — the car must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. A private sale gives you far less protection: the car need only match its description. That difference should shape how much checking you do beforehand, and the guides below go deeper on each step.
Check any UK car before you buy — free.