HPI Check Alternative | UK Car History Check by Smart Car Check

The easiest way to be sure about a vehicle’s reliability is with a car history check. With an HPI check alternative like Smart Car Check, you can check any car for outstanding finance, theft records, MOT history, write-off status, and all the information necessary to make any car purchase or sale.

What is an HPI Check?

An HPI Check, short for Hire Purchase Investigation, is mostly used to refer to a car history check. It is a very important check that gives full insights into the history of a vehicle in just a few minutes. Some of the details you can access with this check includes, outstanding finance, write-off status, stolen records, auction records, mileage discrepancies, and more.

Can you tell if a vehicle has been written-off or may have an outstanding finance record just by looking at it? How do you spot a clocked mileage? Do you know if the vehicle has been previously auctioned? Exported? You would never know without a full car check. That’s where a car HPI Check comes in.

With a car check using the reg number, car buyers and sellers can learn about the history of the car they are interested in and be 100% sure that there are no hidden records or damages, and can make their investments safely.

HPI check

What information does our HPI check alternative provide?

If you’re selling or buying a vehicle, here are some of the up-to-date car check data you can access with an official HPI check in the UK using our data check tool:

Vehicle Description

The vehicle description section gives detailed information about the car, including the make, model, year, body style, color, fuel type, and more. Also, find out registration details and data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Vehicle Registration

Get full details of the registration information of the vehicle’s registration including the registration number, registration place, date of first registration, Last V5C issue date, and VIN.

Auction Records

You can learn about the car's past including where it was auctioned, its sale status, condition, and price along with up to 10 auction photos if available.

Car Alerts

Find out if the vehicle has been scrapped by the DVLA, or was imported into the UK. This section also includes information on whether the vehicle was previously destroyed, has open recalls, and more.

Outstanding finances

Check for outstanding finances and agreements of the vehicle and avoid vehicles that could be repossessed in the future.

Insurance written off

Verify if the vehicle has been termed a total loss by an insurance company and the DVLA.

Stolen check

Discover if a vehicle has been stolen in the past and the number of stolen records it has.

MOT Dues

Check the car's MOT status and verify if it is upcoming or already done, helping you keep up with necessary maintenance.

Tax dues

Verify if the Vehicle excise duty (VED) has been paid or is due.

Previous Keepers

Get the full ownership history of the vehicle you are interested in and check how many owners the vehicle has had.

High risk records

Verify if the vehicle has high-risk records, the number of records, and the type of risks.

Plate and Color Changes

With a HPI car check, you can also see if there were any changes to the license plate or color

Vehicle Performance/C02 emissions

Find out how the car performs in terms of torque and power and also see its environmental impact in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.

Mileage discrepancies

Check if there’s any funny business with the car’s mileage, making sure it matches up with the records.

MOT History

With an MOT check, you can look into the car's MOT history to see how well it has been maintained and if it meets safety standards. You will even see the pass/fail status clearly with advisory notes and annotation details!

Fuel Economy

Evaluate how fuel-efficient the car is with information on fuel costs, fuel type, giving you an idea of potential running costs and environmental impact.

With Smart Car Check’s HPI check, you get a full picture of a car’s history, helping you make smart choices when buying or assessing a car’s condition. Check out our sample reports to get the full picture of what we offer.

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Are you looking for the best car history check UK? Make a smart decision with Smart Car Check App. Perform a Reg number check in the UK to uncover any past problems and hidden history that the seller will not tell you.

Why do you need a car history check with our HPI Check Alternative?

There are several reasons why you would want to take a look into the history of the vehicle you’re interested in with our history check tool. Here are some of the most common reasons:

Protecting Your Investment

When buying a used car, you’re not just investing money; you’re investing in a mode of transportation, convenience, and potentially, your daily life. A comprehensive car check acts as a protective shield, offering insights into the vehicle’s past that might not be obvious with a physical inspection. With access to vital information about the history obtained with our car check tool, you can be sure of your investment and pick the right vehicle.

Car status
Vehicle Repossession

Avoiding Car Repossession

Do you know that at least 1 in 8 cars checked has an active finance agreement or loan? No one wants to end up with a car having outstanding finance. Smart Car Check ensures you’re not blindsided by hidden liabilities, protecting your finances and ensuring a transparent transaction. With our checks you can avoid paying for outstanding finance that you had no idea of and prevent the risk of having your vehicle repossessed.

Ensuring Safety

Checking a car’s history with the reg number gives you an assurance of safety. When you have an idea of a vehicle’s undisclosed write-offs, MOT history, vehicle performance, and safety EURO NCAP ratings, you can easily decide if the vehicle is safe enough for usage or not. Our MOT checks are extremely detailed, giving you an idea of car maintenance and safety related issues.

car engine 05
odometer

Identify Clocked Vehicles

There are at least 1 in 11 cars in the market that have had their odometers clocked or rolled back. That means, their mileage readings have been altered to make the vehicles seem more reliable than they truly are. With a mileage check, you can instantly spot mileage discrepancies and avoid such vehicles.

Avoid Written-Off Vehicles

A written-off vehicle is one that was involved in a severe accident in the past and declared a total loss by an insurance company because of the damages sustained. These vehicles are sometimes rebuilt and placed in the market for sale and you most definitely do not want to end up with one of these as you may keep making frequent trips to an auto repair shop.

Get a reg check today and let us provide you with the information you need to get peace of mind when buying or selling any used car.

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Sample reports

MAZDA sample

2009 MAZDA 2 TS

AUDI sample

2012 AUDI A4 SE TDI CVT

VAUXHALL

2011 VAUXHALL COMBO CDTI SWB

How to get an Instant HPI Check

Our tool is extremely easy to use and in just a few seconds, you will be able to view any car’s past records using the reg number. To get a car check, these are the steps to follow:

  • Locate the registration number from the license plate.
  • Enter this number into our vehicle checker.
  • Fill out the form and click on “Check Vehicle”
  • Make the necessary payments and receive your detailed vehicle history report.

You can now review the report and determine if the vehicle meets your requirements or not.

Is a Vehicle History Check with our affordable HPI Check Alternative worth it?

Absolutely! Conducting a car HPI check with Smart Car Check allows you to gain a better understanding of the vehicle you are interested in and a detailed overview of the vehicle’s history. Do you want to spot car frauds (mileage discrepancies) and other hidden records? Getting a car check report is the only way.

What’s more is that our report is 21% more affordable than HPI Check! You can get a report for as low as £4.99. Don’t spend thousands of Euros on a damaged vehicle. Get an HPI check now!

Frequently Asked Questions

An HPI Check is mostly used to refer to a car check. This is a detailed check that gives insights into the history of any vehicle. The details that can be accessed using our HPI check alternative includes vehicle specifications, vehicle registration details, auction records, vehicle log book details, number of previous keepers, number of plate changes, color changes, MOT & car tax checks, alerts, outstanding loans and finance agreements, and more data points.  With comprehensive vehicle history , you can buy your next used car with confidence.

There are some online services that offer cheap or free car checks. However, they often don’t provide detailed information for consumers through the number plate. If you want an accurate and instant car check for the car you’re looking to buy, you need to use our vehicle data check tool. Get a history check in the UK and get peace of mind during your purchase/sale.

To get an HPI check for vehicles registered in the UK, all you need is the registration number, which can be gotten from the license plate or the logbook (V5C). With the plate number only, you can easily access the history of any motorized vehicle registered and located in the UK.

No, the HPI data check information doesn’t show specifically the damage records of cars. You can only find out if the vehicle of interest has been written off in the past.