MOT and service history guide when buying a new car
When you buy a used car, you will want to know it has an MOT and a good service history.
A reputable dealer like Rockpoint in Staffordshire will make this part easier for you.
All their cars have an MOT. And they also check each car’s service history.
But if you are buying a car privately, you will need to do your own checks.
How to check if a car has a valid MOT
To check if a car has an MOT as well as to look back at its MOT history is very straightforward.
Go to this government website and input the car’s registration number.
You will be able to see MOT tests carried out on the vehicle in England, Scotland, and Wales since 2005.
You could find out if it passed or failed, the mileage recorded at the time, which parts failed or had minor problems and when the next MOT is due.
If you want to also find out where the tests were done, you will need the 11-digit number from the vehicle’s logbook (V55C).
This search is free.
Vehicle service history
Cars should be serviced to the correct standards and can vary depending on the manufactuer.
A car which has always had its services carried out, at approved service stations with an official stamp, has a full-service history (FSH).
Partial service history means it was taken to a non-approved service station at some point, missed a service or does not have all its stamps, for example.
FSH is best but not having it does not mean that anything will necessarily be wrong with the vehicle, it just means you may not have a full picture of its history.
Service history books
In the past, vehicles had a service history booklet with all the information about when and where it received its routine services.
Each entry would have a stamp from a garage plus details of work carried out and the car’s mileage.
Service books can easily get lost, or paperwork go missing.
With newer cars, digital service books often relace physical ones with the services recorded electronically.
Tracking down the service history in both cases can take some detective work.
How to find out the service history of a car or other vehicle
It can be frustrating to try to piece together the service history of a vehicle.
But there are several steps you can take:
NB: You will often need to prove that you are the vehicle owner when researching its service history either by showing a payment receipt signed by the previous owner. Or by showing the vehicle’s log book (the V5C) and knowing the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).