Free tools for UK car owners and buyers
MOT and tax history, side-by-side comparisons, EV charging, fuel prices, and 60 practical guides. Straight from official DVSA and DVLA data. No account, no charge.
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Full MOT test history, current tax status, outstanding recalls, ULEZ compliance, and an estimated annual road tax, all by registration number.
Check a vehicle →The complete report
One shareable report combining MOT and tax status, a buyer verdict, running cost, and brand comparison, for any car by registration number.
Generate a passport →Check a car
Buying
Enter two registrations and see each one scored out of 100 on MOT condition, mileage, tax, recalls, and emissions. Rule-based, not AI.
Compare cars →Fixed formula, not AI
Score any UK car out of 100 across MOT history, current status, mileage, recalls, and emissions, from official data.
Check score →Honest ballpark, not a valuation
A rough estimate of what a car might be worth today, based on typical UK depreciation curves for its age and mileage.
Estimate value →Costs & data
2026/27 rates & live prices
Estimate a car's annual running cost: exact road tax, live fuel prices, and honest typical ranges for insurance and maintenance.
Calculate running cost →Running costs
Today's UK average petrol and diesel price, live, plus a place-based search for cheap fuel near any postcode, town, or city.
Check fuel prices →Real DVSA data
National pass and failure rates, the most common reasons cars fail, and pass rates by manufacturer, sourced from official DVSA data.
View statistics →Top 10 brands compared
MOT pass rates for the UK's top 10 best-selling car brands, from Volkswagen to Toyota, sourced from official DVSA data.
Compare brands →50 models, 10 brands
MOT pass rates and buying guidance for 50 popular models, from the VW Golf to the Skoda Karoq, sourced from official DVSA data.
Browse the database →Groups 1-50 & Vehicle Risk Rating
How UK car insurance groups actually work, typical costs by band, and how to compare real quotes.
Understand your group →Driving
Electric vehicles
Find charging points near any UK postcode, plotted on an interactive map, with connector type and power output.
Find charging points →Journey planning
Every major UK toll road, bridge, tunnel, and city charge, with current prices and the official link to pay online.
View tolls →Emissions & compliance
Every Clean Air Zone and Low Emission Zone in the UK, which vehicles are actually charged, and the official link to check or pay.
View green zones →UK's top 10 cities
Fuel prices, EV charging, and green zone status for London, Birmingham, Manchester, and 7 more, in one place.
Find your city →Learn
Complete guide
Every step from budgeting to driving away, with the free tools and detailed guides to back up each one.
Read the guide →60 guides
Plain-English guides on MOT rules, buying and selling, tax, ULEZ, insurance, and maintenance. Filterable by category.
Browse guides →DS Auto Labs is a set of free tools for anyone who owns, is buying, or is selling a car in the UK. Rather than piecing together information from several different government sites and third-party checkers, everything sits in one place: MOT and tax history, a side-by-side comparison tool for choosing between two cars, live fuel prices, EV charging points, and a growing library of practical guides.
Every tool pulls from official or genuinely free public data sources, DVSA for MOT records, DVLA for tax and vehicle details, and open EV charging and fuel price data, rather than paywalled or subscription-based alternatives. There's no account to create and nothing to pay for any of it.
MOT and tax data comes directly from DVSA and DVLA, the same records a garage or dealer would check.
Every tool works immediately. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to pay.
The car comparison tool uses a fixed, published formula, not an opaque AI judgement.
Yes. Every tool on DS Auto Labs, including the MOT check, car comparison, EV charging finder, and fuel price search, is free, with no account and no charge.
MOT and tax data come directly from the DVSA and DVLA. Fuel and EV charging data come from Open Charge Map, Fuel Finder UK, and checkfuelprices.co.uk, all free, independent, publicly available sources.
No. None of the tools on DS Auto Labs require an account, login, or payment.