Guides & Advice
Car Buying Advice & Vehicle Check Guides
Guides on car history checks, outstanding finance, write-offs and MOT history.
Is There a Bad Drivers Database in the UK?
People look for a bad drivers database every day. It does not exist in the UK, and the reason why changes what you should be checking instead.
19 August 2026
How to Check a Used Van's History Before Buying
A van hides its history better than any car. Ply lining covers the damage and the mileage means nothing. Here is how to check a used van properly.
13 August 2026
Buying an Ex-Fleet or Lease Car: What to Check
Ex-fleet cars are the best value on the used market or the worst buy on the forecourt. The service stamps tell you which one you are looking at.
8 August 2026
Buying an Ex-Driving School Car: What to Know
An ex-driving school car has had a thousand learners abuse its clutch. It has also had obsessive maintenance. Which one wins depends on what you check.
4 August 2026
How to Tell if a Used Car Was an Ex-Taxi
Ex-taxis get sold as ordinary family cars every day. The MOT record gives them away in seconds once you know which pattern to look for.
31 July 2026
How to Check for Bad Drivers Before Buying a Car
You cannot check a driver in the UK. You can check what they did to the car, and that record is public. Here is how to read it before you buy.
27 July 2026
Signs a Used Car Has Been Driven Hard
Two cars, same age, same mileage, and one is worth half the other. Learn the signs a used car has been driven hard before you pay for the bad one.
23 July 2026
Do Speeding Fines Show Up on a Car Check?
Buyers assume a car check reveals the previous driver's speeding fines. It does not, and the reason explains what a car check is actually for.
19 July 2026
Can You Find Out Who Owns a Car by Number Plate?
Every site promising to find out who owns a car by number plate is selling you something else. Here is what the DVLA will release, and to whom.
15 July 2026
How to Report Bad Driving to the Police in the UK
You have the footage and the registration. Miss the 14 day deadline and none of it counts. Here is how to report bad driving so it actually sticks.
11 July 2026
VIN Check: The One Number That Beats Marketplace Fraud
A VIN check takes ten minutes and no expertise, and it is where cloned, clocked and stolen cars fall apart. Here is how to run one properly.
8 July 2026
Why 562,185 Cars Were Written Off in One Year
562,185 UK cars were written off in 2024, most on cost grounds, and 91,156 write-offs went missing from the register checks rely on. Here is the maths.
7 July 2026
The £5,000 Trade-In That Halved When the History Came Out
A Skoda Yeti owner offered £5,000 at trade-in watched it drop to £2,500 when a salvage record surfaced. Nobody told him the car was previously written off.
5 July 2026
Up to 1 in 8 Used Car Sales Hides a Tampered Odometer
European Parliament research puts odometer tampering at up to 12% of used car sales, and a UK court case shows exactly how the fraud is run.
4 July 2026
Car Cloning Is Up 41%. Fines for Clones Are Up 857%.
Car cloning is up 41% in a year and cloned-plate fines in London rose 857%. Innocent drivers are paying for crimes they never committed.
2 July 2026
Car Finance Mis-Selling: 12.1 Million Deals, £830 Each
12.1 million car finance deals were mis-sold through hidden commissions. Average payout £830. Here is how to check if yours is one of them.
1 July 2026
The 66,000 Mile Car That Had Really Done 250,000
A buyer nearly paid thousands for a car with fake mileage: advertised at 66,000, actual reading 250,000. One question saved him. Here it is.
29 June 2026
Facebook Marketplace Car Scams: £480,000 Gone in 9 Months
Facebook Marketplace car scams cost UK buyers £479,964 in nine months. The cars never existed. Here is how the scam works and how to beat it.
27 June 2026