Do I need an History Check if I am buying from a dealer?

A Vehicle History Check is a great and inexpensive way to check the history on a vehicle. If you are looking at purchasing a new car, a history check can tell you several things about its provenance. Such as:

• Whether there is any outstanding finance
• If it has previously been written off
• Whether it has been previously stolen
• If the mileage is verified between previous MOTs
• The number of previous owners
• The number of number plate and colour changes
• Vehicle identification such as the VINs
• Whether the vehicle has been scrapped or exported
• Whether the car has a current MOT

When it comes to buying a second-hand car, it is vital to know its history. If you buy a car that has previously been stolen, then the police have the power to seize it. This could well leave you put of pocket. Similarly if you buy a car that still has an outstanding finance agreement, then you can be held liable for paying off the remainder of the finance. This is in addition to the price that you would have paid to buy the car.

Fortunately, most car dealers in the UK are honest and trustworthy. However, there is a small number of dealers out there who are willing to break the law in order to sell cars. This includes selling cars that have previously been written off or stolen or selling cars that have outstanding finance agreements. Because of these dishonest sellers, it’s always worth conducting an HPI check before you purchase any used car.

Many reputable dealers will conduct the HPI check themselves, so you can be confident that the car you are about to buy does not have a hidden past. The check costs a few pounds, but the peace of mind that it can offer potential buyers is well worth the cost to most dealers.

Dealers that don’t Histroy Check their cars

If you are looking at buying a car from a dealership that does not offer to conduct an HPI check then this isn’t necessarily an indication that the car has a hidden history. However, you should consider it a red flag and conduct your own investigations. Fortunately, this is easy to do by ordering an HPI check from us, or any other provider.

The fact that buying a car with a hidden history can cause so many problems, coupled with the fact that HPI checks only cost a nominal fee means that it’s always sensible to conduct your HPI checks. Even if you are buying your car from a well-resected and reputable dealer or a national company that sells cars, it’s a good idea to protect yourself as much as possible and conduct your own HPI check.

Our free report gives you information on whether a car has a valid MOT and tax. In addition to this you will also get a vehicle valuation, details of the vehicles performance and the MOT history of the vehicle. You can also choose our premium report which offers all of the above as well as the following:

• Police database check to see if anyone has ever stolen the car
• Write-off check
• Outstanding finance check
• Scrapped and import/export check
• Mileage anomaly check
• Cloned car check

You will also benefit from a £30,000 data guarantee, meaning that if some of the information is incorrect, we offer a guarantee of up to £30,000 to cover your costs. With such a comprehensive report at such a low price, can you afford not to check?