Comparison · checked 4 October 2026

RegTail vs the AA car history 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 AA sells a vehicle history check at £14.99, or five for £6 each, that covers outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-offs and mileage discrepancies, with a guarantee of up to £30,000. 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.

Add a paid check when

You are about to pay for the car and need outstanding finance, the police stolen marker and the insurance write-off register checked, with a guarantee behind the result. The AA's check covers these; RegTail does not.

Side by side

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

Feature	RegTail	The AA
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.	£14.99 for one check, or five checks at £6 each.
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.	Not part of the check
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.	VIN and log book checksThe check includes VIN and V5C log book checks.
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.	Not listedNot listed among the check's contents on the AA's page.
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.	DiscrepanciesMileage discrepancy check.
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.	NoThe AA sells separate in-person inspections.
Outstanding finance	Not checkedMarked as not checked, with what to ask the seller for.	Yes
Stolen (police marker)	Not checkedA plate that does not match the car in your photo is flagged, but the police register is 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
Keepers, plates, scrapped	Not shown	YesNumber of previous owners, plate transfers and whether the DVLA records the car as scrapped.
Guarantee	None	Up to £30,000A refund of financial loss if vital information is missed, up to £30,000.
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.	Delivered online with an email copy.

AA prices and features from theaa.com/vehicle-check and the AA Cars history check page, 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: AA vehicle check, AA Cars history check.

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 AA history check is £14.99.

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 the AA is stronger today

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

Outstanding finance

A car with finance owing can be repossessed from you. RegTail marks finance 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.

A data guarantee up to £30,000

The AA refunds financial loss up to £30,000 if its check misses vital information. RegTail offers no guarantee.

A free check on AA Cars listings

Cars advertised on AA Cars come with a free basic check covering stolen, write-off, plate and colour changes, mileage data, import and keepers, though not finance.

In-person inspections

The AA sells inspections by a mechanic, which no data check replaces.

Questions

How much is an AA car history check?

On theaa.com the vehicle history check is £14.99 for one car, or five checks at £6 each, prices checked 4 October 2026. It covers outstanding finance, stolen, insurance write-offs, mileage discrepancies, previous owners, plate transfers, scrapped status and VIN and log book checks, with a guarantee of up to £30,000.

Does RegTail check finance, stolen and write-offs like the AA?

No. Finance, the police stolen marker and the insurance write-off register are private databases. RegTail marks them as not checked in every report and tells you what to ask the seller for. The AA's check includes them.

What does RegTail do that the AA check does not?

RegTail starts from the advert: it reads the seller's claims from any site, tests each one against the MOT history and the registration record, flags a plate that does not match the car in your photo, and builds a viewing checklist for that car. The current MOT status and condition are free.

Which check should I use?

Use RegTail while you shortlist and before the viewing. Before you pay for the car, add a register check such as the AA's if you want finance, theft and write-offs confirmed with a guarantee.

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

AA is a trade mark of its owner. RegTail is not affiliated with the AA. Prices and features checked 4 October 2026 and may change.