Check a car
Comparison · prices checked October 2026

RegTail vs carVertical: which used-car check do you need?

RegTail is a UK check that starts from the advert you are looking at. Type the plate, paste the advert link from any site, or snap a photo of the car. The current MOT status and condition are free; 1 credit unlocks the full report, which tests the seller's claims against the DVSA MOT history, the registration record and the MOT statistics of the whole fleet.

carVertical sells a paid report at £39.99 that adds finance, theft, insurance write-off and international history. Below is where each one is stronger, so you can spend your money once, on the right car.

Use RegTail when

You are scrolling adverts and want to rule cars out before you travel, see what the MOT history really says, and walk into the viewing knowing what to inspect. The current condition is free, so check every car on your shortlist, then unlock the full report, 1 credit each, for the ones worth a closer look.

Add a paid check when

You are about to pay for the car and need outstanding finance, the police stolen marker, the insurance write-off register or an import's foreign history confirmed. carVertical covers these; RegTail does not today.

Side by side

What each check includes for a UK buyer. carVertical details are from its UK site and published report sections, checked October 2026.

FeatureRegTailcarVertical
Price Current condition free1 credit unlocks a plate's full report for 30 days. Credits from £2.99 (5 for £9.99, 15 for £19.99); API calls use the same credits. £39.99 for one report, £51.98 for two. Business packages are cheaper per report.
How you start Plate, advert link or photoPaste a link from any site, or photograph the car. Our AI finds the plate in the advert's text or photos. Registration number or VIN.
Reads the advert Yes, any siteMake, model, colour, mileage, price and the work the seller claims, read from the advert text and photos. Not part of the report
Seller's claims tested Advert vs recordsIn the full report. Each claim is marked Matches, Needs explaining or Contradicted, against the official record and every MOT reading. No advert comparison
Cloned-plate warning From your photoIn the full report. If the car in your photo is not the make, model or colour on the plate's record, the report says so. No photo check
MOT history Every test, every defectThe latest test free, every test in the full report. Fails, majors and advisories, with a Problems by part view that shows what keeps coming back and on which corner. YesMOT tests appear in the report timeline.
Mileage Three waysIn the full report. Every MOT reading, the advert's figure, and what is typical for the same model from 33.8 million MOT tests. YesMileage chart against a typical line, with a rollback marker.
Advice for this car Written for this carIn the full report. AI turns the records into a summary and viewing priorities, each one citing an MOT test or a finding, plus known faults for the engine the car actually has. General checklistA post-report checklist and model specs.
Viewing checklist Built from the recordIn the full report. Tick-off checks for the viewing, each one tied to what the MOT history and the advert show. YesA post-report checklist.
Outstanding finance Not checkedMarked as not checked, with what to ask the seller for. Yes
Stolen (police marker) Not checked Yes
Insurance write-off register Not checkedWe do not read the insurers' register. The full report shows write-offs declared in adverts we have seen. Yes
International history UK records only YesEU and US history, useful for imports.
Damage photos NoDamage is shown as MOT testers recorded it, by part. YesPhotos from auctions and damage events, where held.
Running costs YesTax status free. Fuel a year, clean-air zones and servicing intervals in the full report. YesTax, running costs and EV range.
Sharing Link with preview, and PDFEvery report has its own link, with a preview card of the car when you send it, and Save as PDF. YesOnline for 30 days, PDF download and share.
API Same creditsEvery API call costs one credit, from the same packs. YesBusiness plans and API.
carVertical prices and features from carvertical.com/gb, checked October 2026. RegTail features as live at regtail.com on the same date. Tell us if anything here is out of date.

What RegTail does differently

A history report answers "what is on file for this plate". RegTail answers the buyer's question: is this advert telling the truth, and what should I look at when I get there?

Start from the advert, not the plate
Paste a link from any site. Our AI reads the text and the photos, finds the registration even when the advert hides it, and pulls out the make, model, colour, mileage, price and the work the seller claims. No plate? A photo of the car is enough.
Every claim meets the record
"48,000 miles" is tested against every MOT reading and against what is typical for the same model across 33.8 million MOT tests. Colour, fuel, engine and age are tested against the registration record. A plate that does not match the car in your photo is flagged as a possible clone.
A guide written for this car
AI turns the records into a short summary and viewing priorities for this car, and every priority must cite an MOT test or a finding or it is dropped. It also knows the engine the car actually has: on one Defender the record showed a 6.2-litre petrol V8 the factory never fitted, so the advice was written for the conversion, not the brochure.
Free to start on every car
The current MOT status and condition are free, so you can check ten adverts in an evening. Unlock the full report for the ones worth a closer look: 1 credit per plate, with credits from £2.99 (5 for £9.99, 15 for £19.99). One carVertical report is £39.99.
AI reads. Records decide.
Our AI reads adverts, photos and MOT notes. It never writes the verdict: that comes from the records, and partial evidence never counts as clear.

Where carVertical is stronger today

These come from private registers and paid data that RegTail does not hold. If you are about to hand over money, they are worth confirming.

Outstanding finance
A car with finance owing can be repossessed from you. RegTail marks this as not checked and tells you to ask the seller for a settlement letter.
Police stolen marker
The police register is private. RegTail shows only indirect signs, such as a plate that does not match the car.
Insurance write-off register
RegTail shows write-offs declared in adverts we have seen. An undeclared Cat S or Cat N needs the insurers' register.
International history
For an import, carVertical's EU and US data can show mileage and damage from before the car reached the UK. RegTail uses UK records only.
Damage photos from auctions
Where carVertical holds them, pictures of past damage. RegTail shows damage as MOT testers recorded it, grouped by part.

Questions

Is RegTail free?
The current condition is free for any car: the latest MOT result, its defects and advisories, the expiry, tax and recorded mileage. 1 credit unlocks the full report for that plate for 30 days: every MOT, the mileage checks, the seller's claims tested against the records, problems by part, signs of a cloned plate, the viewing checklist and advice for this car. Credits start at £2.99 (5 for £9.99, 15 for £19.99), and API calls use the same credits.
How much does carVertical cost in the UK?
On carVertical's UK site a single report is £39.99 and two reports are £51.98, prices checked October 2026. carVertical also sells business packages at lower prices per report.
Does RegTail check outstanding finance, theft and write-offs?
Not today. Finance, the police stolen marker and the insurance write-off register are private databases. RegTail marks them as not checked and tells you what to ask the seller for. The full report shows write-offs declared in adverts we have seen, and a plate on the wrong car. carVertical includes these checks in its paid report.
Can RegTail check a car from an advert link?
Yes, from any site. Our AI reads the advert's text and photos to find the registration and the seller's claims, then every claim is tested against the records. If a site blocks us, you can paste the advert text or add screenshots.
Which check should I use?
Start with RegTail: the current condition is free on every car, and 1 credit unlocks the full report, which reads the advert and tells you what to inspect at the viewing. If you are about to pay for a car and want finance, theft, write-off or import history confirmed, add a paid check from a provider that holds those registers, such as carVertical.

Check the car you are looking at

Plate, advert link or photo. The current condition is free; 1 credit unlocks the MOT history, mileage and the seller's claims, checked against the records.

Check a car

carVertical is a trade mark of its owner. RegTail is not affiliated with carVertical. Competitor prices and features checked October 2026 and may change.