Sample report: a fictional vehicle
This is a worked example so you can see exactly what a full check looks like, including the kind of serious findings a real car can carry. Every figure below is made up and describes no real vehicle. Check your own registration for a genuine report.
At a glance
Tax
Taxed
Due 1 Mar 2027
MOT
Valid
197 days left · 14 Feb 2027
Mileage
0
MOT pass rate
100%
5 tests on record
Full check: 9 of 9 registers checked
100%- Vehicle identity
- MOT history
- Mileage
- Recurring faults
- Outstanding finance
- Stolen marker
- Insurance write-off
- Market value
- Safety recalls
Every register we check has been searched for this vehicle, so this report is the full picture: the finance, theft and write-off records the free check leaves out are all included above.
Serious warning
Something here should stop the purchase until it is resolved.
- Serious warning
A finance agreement is recorded against this vehicle.
- If money is still owed, the finance company may still own it and it can be repossessed after you buy it.
- Ask the seller for a settlement letter before paying anything.
- High concern
The recorded mileage has a reduction we could not explain.
- The mileage recorded on 11 June 2024 was 69,150, which is 29,610 lower than the 98,760 recorded on 14 June 2023.
- Some concerns
Category N: non-structural damage, repaired, recorded March 2019
- This vehicle was damaged but not structurally, and was repaired. Often cosmetic or electrical. Still worth asking what was damaged and seeing the repair evidence.
- Some concerns
This vehicle has been on a different registration.
- MOT and DVLA history is recorded against the registration, so the history shown here may not cover the whole of the vehicle's life.
- Ask the seller why the plate was changed.
Do not proceed without independent advice. If it is advertised for sale, consider reporting it.
Based on the DVLA and DVSA records and the finance, theft and write-off registers.
Things worth asking about
- The mileage recorded on 11 June 2024 was 69,150, which is 29,610 lower than the 98,760 recorded on 14 June 2023.
- Make
- FORD
- Model
- FIESTA
- Colour
- Blue
- Fuel
- PETROL
- Engine
- 998
- cc
- Year
- 2016
- First registered
- 1 Mar 2016
- CO₂
- 114
- g/km
- Emissions standard
- EURO 6
- Last V5C issued
- 12 Jun 2023
The mileage recorded on 11 June 2024 was 69,150, which is 29,610 lower than the 98,760 recorded on 14 June 2023.
A reduction does not by itself prove the odometer was altered, but it needs explaining before you buy. Ask the seller, and ask for service history covering this period.
Recorded mileage
Tap or focus a point for its reading.
Outstanding finance
Warning foundA finance agreement is recorded against this vehicle. If money is still owed, the finance company may still own it, and it can be repossessed even after you buy it. Ask the seller for a settlement letter before paying anything.
- Finance company
- Marque Vehicle Finance
- Agreement type
- Personal contract purchase
- Start date
- 8 November 2022
- Term
- 42 months
- Agreement number
- PCP-8830512
- Finance company contact
- 0330 123 4567
Recorded stolen
No marker foundNo stolen marker was found in the records checked at the time of this report.
Insurance write-off
Warning foundCategory N: non-structural damage, repaired, recorded March 2019
This vehicle was damaged but not structurally, and was repaired. Often cosmetic or electrical. Still worth asking what was damaged and seeing the repair evidence.
Cause of loss: Accident. Recorded with the insurer register on 23 March 2019.
Keeper changes
2 former keepers- 12 Jun 2018 · became the 1st keeper
- 3 Feb 2022 · became the 2nd keeper
Dates and numbers only. We do not hold or show who the keepers were.
Registration record
- Latest V5C logbook issued on 19 May 2023. A logbook reissued shortly before a sale is worth asking about.
- Colour changed 1 time, previously Blue, most recently on 11 August 2020. A colour change can follow accident repair, so it is worth understanding why.
£30,000 data guarantee applies
For your security, and because the data terms do not allow it, we don't show the full VIN. We hold it on record and you can confirm your vehicle matches this report below.
VIN on record (partial)
WVWZZZ1KZ••••3456
This registration has changed once. A plate can be moved on or off a vehicle at any time; because the records are keyed to the plate, some of this car's history may sit under a previous one.
Current registration
On this plate since July 2021.
Changed in July 2021 · 5 years ago.
What a plate change means
MOT and DVLA records are recorded against the registration, so a transfer can leave part of a vehicle's history under a plate not shown here. Most transfers are innocent, such as a personal plate put on or taken off, but a plate is occasionally changed to separate a car from its past. Ask the seller why it was changed, and whether they can account for the vehicle's history before the change.
What you'd buy and sell it for
Dealer forecourt
£18,616
what a dealer would ask
Private sale
£16,378 – £16,564
selling it yourself
What the trade would give
- Part-exchange
- £16,307
- traded in against another car
- Trade-in
- £14,427 – £17,893
- sold to the trade, by condition
- Auction
- £16,287
- trade auction hammer price
These are lower than a private sale because the trade buys to sell on again. They are what to expect if you part-exchange or sell to a dealer rather than privately.
What this estimate is based on
- Valued as a Hyundai Kona Ultimate GDi HEV Semi-Auto GDI Ultimate [Petrol/Electric / Semi Automatic]. Check this matches the exact trim on offer.
- Priced at 15,429 miles. A car that has covered materially more or less than that is worth adjusting from these figures.
- Cost about £29,605 on the road when new (2022-22).
- Figures from the Direct valuation book.
- Valued on 21 July 2026. Market values move, so this is the position on that date.
This is an estimate, not a guaranteed price. The valuation is based on the make, model, age and mileage; it has not taken account of this car's condition, service history or options, all of which move the real figure. Treat it as a guide to negotiate from rather than a price anyone is bound to.
Open at
£16,307
your first offer
Walk away above
£16,564
the most it is worth paying
How we got there
- In a private sale it is worth roughly £16,378 to £16,564, an ordinary example up to a tidy one. A dealer would ask around £18,616.
- The MOT record points to no work needed right now, so nothing has been taken off for repairs. A records check cannot see condition, so this is not the same as the car needing nothing.
- We would open at around £16,307: the ordinary private-sale figure, less a 5% margin to leave yourself room to settle upwards.
- We have not opened below about £16,307, roughly what the trade would give the seller. Go much under that and an offer is easy to wave away.
- We would not go above £16,564: the tidy-example private price, less the least the repairs might cost, so you are not paying top money for a car that needs work.
These are estimates to help you negotiate, not a price anyone is bound to. They are worked out from a book valuation and the MOT record, and neither has seen this particular car. Its condition, service history and options all move the real figure. Use them as a starting point and a real inspection to settle on a price.
No fault was recorded at more than one MOT. Individual advisories may still appear in the test history below.
London ULEZ: Likely to meet the standard
- This is a petrol vehicle.
- DVLA records it as Euro 6.
- ULEZ requires Euro 4 or newer for petrol vehicles.
- It therefore appears to meet the standard.
Based on the emissions standard DVLA holds for this vehicle. The zone operator's own checker is the authoritative answer.
Check on the official TfL toolNo outstanding recall found
The supplier's recall register held no outstanding recall for this vehicle when it was checked. Confirm it with a main dealer before you buy, as they see the manufacturer's own record.
The supplier reported no recall entries for this vehicle.
Recall register checked on 29 July 2026 at 03:52. A recall can be launched at any time, so this is the position on that date rather than a lasting guarantee.
How to confirm it
- Check the DVSA recall service by make and model to see whether any campaign applies.
- Find the VIN on the vehicle, at the base of the windscreen or on the V5C, and give it to a Ford main dealer. They can see the vehicle's specific recall record and whether the work was done.
- If you are buying, ask the seller directly whether any recall work is outstanding, and ask for the paperwork if they say it has been done.
Recall work is carried out free of charge by a main dealer however old the vehicle is and whoever owns it now. There is no reason not to ask, and an outstanding safety recall is the one thing in a vehicle history that can injure somebody rather than just cost money.
Paste the details from the advert and we will line each one up against the records for this vehicle. This compares what the advert says against the records. It is not an accusation. Most differences have an ordinary explanation, so a finding is a thing to ask about, not a verdict on the seller.
Routine running costs
£350 to £1,200Scheduled maintenance this car will want because of its age and mileage, whatever the MOT said. Not the seller's doing, but it is still money you will spend.
Cambelt
£350 to £1,200
Replace the cambelt, tensioner and water pump
The car is 10 years old, which is around or past the interval most makers specify. Check the interval for this engine, and ask whether it has been done.
Varies by vehicle. The job is clear, but what it costs depends heavily on the vehicle. Treat the range as a starting point and get a quote for this model.
Independent garage labour, around £60 to £90 an hour. A main dealer will be more. Three to six hours depending on access. Check the interval for this engine.
These are indicative ranges, not quotations. They assume an independent garage rather than a main dealer, and they cannot account for what a mechanic finds once the car is on a ramp. Use them to work out roughly what you are taking on, and get a real quote before agreeing a price on the strength of one.
Indicative UK independent-garage ranges, compiled in house. Not a quotation. Last reviewed 2026-07-21.
Registered between March 2001 and April 2017, so it is taxed by CO₂ band for the whole of its life. This is the regime where a genuinely low-emission car can be very cheap, or free, to tax.
- Rates change each April. GOV.UK publishes the current amount for this vehicle free of charge, and it is the authority.
Full vehicle check complete
CL07 CKD · checked 29 July 2026 · Report #01KYP01D
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