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Comparison · checked 4 October 2026

RegTail vs the free gov.uk MOT check

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.

The government's MOT history service and DVLA vehicle enquiry are free and official, and RegTail uses the same DVSA and DVLA records. Neither gov.uk service reads the advert or checks finance, stolen or write-off records. Below is where each one is stronger.

Use RegTail when

You are scrolling adverts and want to rule cars out before you travel, see what the MOT history really says, check the seller's claims, and walk into the viewing knowing what to inspect.

Use gov.uk when

You want every MOT test free, straight from the source, the MOT certificate itself, or where each test was done. The gov.uk services give you these at no cost. Neither gov.uk nor RegTail checks finance, stolen or write-off registers; for those, add a paid register check.

Side by side

What each check includes for a UK buyer, from gov.uk's own pages, checked 4 October 2026.

FeatureRegTailgov.uk
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. FreeBoth services are free.
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.
Reads the advert Yes, any siteMake, model, colour, mileage, price and the work the seller claims, read from the advert text and photos. No
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
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. By handYou can compare the make and colour on the record with the car, and the last log book issue date with the seller's V5C.
MOT history Every test, every defectThe latest test free, every test in the full report, with a Problems by part view that shows what keeps coming back and on which corner. Every test, freeEvery test since 2005 in Great Britain and since 2017 in Northern Ireland, with fails, minors and advisories, and certificates to download in Great Britain.
Mileage MOT readings, 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. Readings listedThe mileage at each test. Spotting a drop is up to you.
Advice for this car Written for this carIn the full report. Viewing priorities and known faults for the engine the car actually has, each priority citing an MOT test or a finding. No
Tax and log book YesTax status free. Fuel a year, clean-air zones and servicing intervals in the full report. YesTax status and expiry, SORN, and the date the last log book (V5C) was issued.
Outstanding finance Not checkedMarked as not checked, with what to ask the seller for. Not checked
Stolen (police marker) Not checkedA plate that does not match the car in your photo is flagged, but the police register is not checked. Not checked
Insurance write-off register Not checkedWe do not read the insurers' register. The full report shows write-offs declared in adverts we have seen. Not checked
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. Look the car up again at any time; MOT certificates as downloads.
gov.uk details from gov.uk/check-mot-history and gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla, checked 4 October 2026. RegTail features as live at regtail.com on the same date. Tell us if anything here is out of date. Sources: Check MOT history, Get vehicle information from DVLA.

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). The gov.uk services are free, and so is RegTail's current condition.
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 gov.uk is stronger today

If you are about to hand over money, these are worth having.

Every MOT test, free
gov.uk shows every test for free. RegTail shows the latest test free and every test in the full report, which costs 1 credit.
The official source
The MOT history comes straight from the DVSA. RegTail reads the same records, so where they differ, gov.uk is the record.
Test locations and certificates
With the 11-digit reference from the log book, gov.uk shows where each test was done, and you can download MOT certificates for cars tested in Great Britain.
Log book issue date
The DVLA vehicle enquiry shows when the last V5C was issued, so you can check the seller's log book is the current one.

Questions

Is the gov.uk MOT history check free?
Yes. The MOT history service and the DVLA vehicle enquiry service are free and need only the registration number.
What does RegTail add to the gov.uk MOT check?
RegTail reads the advert from any site and tests the seller's claims against the MOT history and the registration record, checks the mileage against every reading and against what is typical for the model, groups defects by part, flags a plate that does not match the car in your photo, and builds a viewing checklist. The current condition is free; the full report is 1 credit.
Does gov.uk or RegTail check finance, stolen and write-offs?
Neither. Finance, the police stolen marker and the insurance write-off register are private databases. RegTail marks them as not checked in every report. For those, use a paid check from a provider that holds the registers.
Which should I use?
Both are free to start. Use gov.uk for every MOT test and the official record, and RegTail to check the advert against the records and plan the viewing. Add a paid register check before you pay for the car.

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

Read next: Is the free gov.uk MOT check enough? · Cat S, Cat N and write-offs explained · MOT pass rates by make and model · All buyer guides

RegTail is not affiliated with the DVSA, the DVLA or gov.uk. Prices and features checked 4 October 2026 and may change.