Blog / Buying a used car

Buying · 6 min read

5 things to check on a used car before you buy it

Most used-car problems aren't hidden. They're sitting in public records or on the car itself, and most buyers just don't check before they hand over a deposit. Here are the five checks that catch the majority of issues, roughly in order of how quickly you can do them.

1. Full MOT test history, not just the current status

A valid MOT tells you the car passed on the day it was tested. It doesn't tell you what it failed on last year, what's been flagged as an advisory three tests running, or whether the mileage recorded at each test actually makes sense. Pulling the full history by registration number takes a few seconds and shows every pass, fail, and advisory on record, which says far more about how the car's been looked after than a seller's word does.

2. Mileage consistency across MOT records

Every MOT test records the odometer reading at the time. Lay those readings out chronologically and you can spot two red flags immediately: mileage that's inconsistent with what the seller has told you, or a reading that's gone down, which is only possible if a clock's been wound back or a replacement dashboard's been fitted. Neither is common, but both are far easier to catch from the record than by trusting the number on the dash.

3. Current tax status

A car that's SORN or untaxed isn't necessarily a problem, but it's worth knowing before you agree a price, since you'll need to tax it yourself before driving it away, and an unusually long SORN period can be a sign the car's been sitting unused for a while, which brings its own set of things worth inspecting more closely, like fuel system condition and tyre perishing.

4. Outstanding manufacturer recalls

Safety recalls are free to fix at a dealer, but only if the current owner actually gets around to it. It's not unusual for a car to change hands with a recall still outstanding, simply because nobody flagged it. This takes seconds to check against the registration number and costs you nothing to fix if you find one.

5. Emissions standard, if you'll ever drive into a low emission zone

If there's any chance you'll drive the car into London or one of the other UK cities running a Clean Air Zone, it's worth confirming the Euro emissions standard before you buy, not after. A non-compliant diesel or older petrol can mean a daily charge every time you enter the zone, which adds up fast if it's part of a regular commute.

Comparing two cars side by side

If you're deciding between two specific cars rather than checking one you've already settled on, it's worth running both through all five checks at once rather than one after another from memory. Seeing them side by side, with a clear score for each, tends to make the actual differences a lot more obvious than switching between browser tabs.