Buying a car is exciting, but hidden problems can turn your dream into a nightmare. Whether you’re checking out dealerships, looking online, or meeting someone selling their car, you need to know what you’re really getting before handing over your cash.
A good vehicle history report shows you everything about a car’s past – crashes, money still owed, serious damage, and other problems. Two popular companies doing vehicle registration checks in the UK are AutoTrader vehicle check and Smart Car Check.
Both promise to find hidden issues, but they work differently. This comparison breaks down exactly what each car history check service offers and helps you pick the best one for checking your next car.
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AutoTrader Car Check & Smart Car Check: What’s it About them?
Being ignorant of even the tiniest detail could make you end up with a defective vehicle, and getting the best car history check service in the UK can make sure that this never happens.
Autotrader Car Check Service
AutoTrader vehicle check is one of the UK’s most recognised car history services. It pulls information from multiple databases to show you important details about any used vehicle, including accident history, outstanding finance, mileage records, and whether the car was ever stolen or written off.
The service costs around £4.95 per check and delivers instant reports. AutoTrader’s reputation as a trusted car marketplace makes its checking service popular with buyers who want quick, reliable information before making purchase decisions.
Smart Car Check Car Check Service
Smart Car Check is the top vehicle data company in the UK. They give you way more information than most other services out there. Their reports show MOT history, money owed on the car, crash records, mileage problems, and loads more. They even offer a VIN number check, too.
What’s really cool is how flexible they are. You can pick from free reports, basic checks, or premium packages. This means you don’t waste money on fancy reports if you just need simple information. Pay only for what you actually need.
Autotrader Plate Check vs. Smart Car Check: Reports Compared
Below is a simple comparison of the records and information provided in the two providers’ vehicle history reports. Check out who wins for the year 2026.
| Records | Smart Car Check Report | Auto Trader History Check |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle specifications | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Insurance write-off | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Plate/colour change | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Stolen car check | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| MOT history | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Ownership records | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Auction records | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Scrapped car check | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Outstanding finance | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Mileage verification | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| V5C logbook details | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| MOT and Tax status | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Imported/exported | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| SMMT details | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Certificate of destruction | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Electric vehicle charging data | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Vehicle performance | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Fuel economy | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Running cost | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Safety (Euro NCAP) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| CO₂ emissions | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Report in PDF | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
With a Smart Car Check report, buyers have access to all the information they need without having to spend time and money on multiple checks from different providers. This helps save time and money, providing peace of mind when buying used cars.
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What Makes Smart Car Check Service Stand Out?
Smart Car Check isn’t just another vehicle history service. Here’s what makes them different from other providers in the UK market.
Accuracy and Depth of Information
Smart Car Check offers a more comprehensive report than AutoTrader Vehicle Check, with information on a wider range of factors that could impact the value and safety of the vehicle. Smart Car Check reports include information on the MOT history, mileage history, ownership history, and more.
Ease of Use
Smart Car Check offers a user-friendly online platform that allows users to quickly and easily obtain a vehicle history report. Users simply enter the vehicle’s registration number and pay a fee to access the report. The report gets delivered instantly to their email address, or they view it online immediately.
Flexible Pricing
Smart Car Check offers a very competitive and flexible pricing structure and packages, with reports starting at just £5.00. This makes it an affordable option for anyone looking to purchase a used car. You can check for free, or get a basic or premium report.
Customer Support.
Smart Car Check works round the clock to ensure none of the customer’s inquiries are left unanswered forever. Their customer support team ensures nothing stands in the way of their users, like you, in accessing their reports.
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Benefits of Checking a Vehicle History Before Buying
Checking a car’s history before buying saves you from nasty surprises and protects your hard-earned money. Here’s why it’s absolutely essential.
Avoid Buying Stolen Vehicles
Nobody wants police knocking on their door to take away a stolen car. A vehicle history check instantly shows if the car was reported stolen.
Protect Your Investment with a Stolen Car Check
This protects you from losing both your money and the vehicle, plus saves you from potential legal troubles down the road.
Discover Hidden Damage
Some sellers hide serious crash damage with cheap repairs and fresh paint. A car history check reveals the car’s accident history, showing you if it suffered major damage before.
Think Car History Check, Think Safety
Your safety on the road means you avoiding buying a vehicle that might have hidden structural problems or safety issues. Checking the car before buying ensures you drive without fear of breaking down.
Check for Outstanding Finance
Lots of used cars still have money owed on them. If you buy one, the finance company can legally take it back even though you paid for it.
How a Vehicle History Check Helps
A car history check shows any outstanding loans, protecting you from this expensive and heartbreaking situation. You can be sure that you won’t inherit another person’s debt or have the car repossessed from you.
Verify Correct Mileage
Dodgy sellers wind back odometers to make cars seem less used than they really are. This is called clocking, and it’s more common than you’d think.
Don’t Become a Victim of Mileage Discrepancies
A car history check helps compare recorded mileage from MOT tests, helping you spot if someone tampered with the numbers. This will help you pay the correct price based on the market value, and not overpay for a worn-out car.
Identify Write-Off Records
Insurance companies declare cars as write-offs after serious accidents. Some get repaired and sold again, but they’re never quite the same.
Find Out the Write-Off Status and Category
Checking reveals if your potential car was written off before, and the write-off category (Cat A, B, N or S). This information affects safety, value, and helps you decide whether to buy the car or check the next car.
Understand True Vehicle Value
A car’s history affects how much the car is actually worth. Cars with clean histories cost more because they’re safer bets.
Avoid Overpaying for a Car
Knowing the complete background helps you negotiate better prices and avoid overpaying for vehicles with sketchy pasts or hidden problems.
Conclusion on Smart Car Check Vs Autotrader Vehicle Check Reports
Both services do a decent job checking vehicles, but Smart Car Check wins with more data, flexible pricing, and really thorough vehicle history reports. At the end of the day, what matters most is that you actually check a car’s history before handing over your cash. Don’t skip this step – it could save you from a massive headache and financial disaster later.
Smart Car Check & Autotrader Vehicle Check FAQ
Is Autotrader vehicle check worth it?
Yes, an Autotrader vehicle check is worth it for used cars. Just like Smart Car Check, it offers important records about the history of a car registered in the UK. These include theft, finance, write-offs, mileage, detailed spec, MOT history, ownership records and more.
What is the best car history check service in the UK?
Smart Car Check provides one of the best car history checks in the UK, providing deep insight into a car’s overall performance, condition, history and safety.
Is Autotrader vehicle check any good?
Just like every reliable car check, an Autotrafer vehicle check provides a great overview of a car’s past, revealing records like theft, scrapped status, outstanding finance, mileage discrepancies, and more.
