So you are thinking of buying a used car but you want to get a background check on it to make sure you are not getting ripped off. These days there is so much more you need to look out for than just checking to see if the engine is running smooth, the body is in good condition and the tyres are all pointing in the right direction.
Unfortunately the criminals are going to ever more elaborate lengths to rip people off and sell them a dodgy car. In the past in the UK you could get away with just checking the car over and handing over your money if everything looked good. Now you are much more likely to end up buying a car with a hidden history and more likely to end up financially worse off for it.
Due to the more complicated nature of the second hand car market many services have popped up to provide a car registration number check to alert you to the dangers of a car you may be about to buy. The idea is you enter the details of the vehicle you are about to buy and you will get a comprehensive report on the car. This allows you to find out about the cars history.
As many as 1 in 7 used cars in the UK have a hidden history, for less then a fiver you can get a text check or a comprehensive online check for about ten pounds. You can find out straight away if the car you are buying has a history that could save you from making a costly mistake.
There are various different services in the UK for doing a car registration check, each service generally gather information from the police national computer, the DVLA and the association of British insurers. This all goes to provide a pretty good picture of the history of the car you are looking to buy.
The most convenient type of check is the car text check, this is where you text the registration of the car you are interested in and you get back a message with details of the cars history. This type of service is useful if you are out and about and need some quick details. The cost of this tends to range from a few pounds upwards but provides no guarantees and is not as extensive.
The second option is to do a check online and these are more thorough guaranteed online car data checks. They tend to offer a guarantee so if you do buy the car then later find out the information you were provided was inaccurate or incorrect then you can get your money back that you paid for the car. This comprehensive online check is recommended when you are sure you have found the car that you want as it provides all available data on the car. You also get an actual report you can print off and keep as part of the cars history if you decide to sell the car on.