CarVertical is a legitimate product with a clear niche: European history, cross-border records and salvage auction damage photos. This guide explains what it costs in the UK, what its free check actually shows you, and how it compares with the UK-focused providers on a standard UK-registered car.
This page is a broader look at CarVertical itself. If you have already decided and want a direct swap, our CarVertical alternative UK page puts Carpeep and CarVertical side by side on price, checks and data cover, and is the faster route if you just want to run a check.
CarVertical costs around £37.99 for a single UK report, and its free lookup shows only basic vehicle details rather than finance, write-off or stolen data. It earns its price when a car has genuine European history or you want salvage auction photos. For a standard UK-registered car, a UK-focused report such as Carpeep at £15 covers the checks that decide the purchase — finance, write-offs, stolen status and mileage — without the European overhead.
| Provider | Price | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpeep | £15 | Most UK buyers | Clear UK-focused report |
| CarVertical | £37.99 | European history and damage photos | Cross-border records, salvage auction photos |
| HPI Check | £19.99 | Established brand | Strong name recognition |
| RAC | £14.99 | RAC familiarity | Trusted motoring brand |
| MotorCheck | £9.99 | UK & Irish history | Core checks |
| CarCheck.co.uk | £14.99 | Simple check | Basic UK checks |
Best for: Most UK car buyers
Carpeep is built for the UK used car market. It covers outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen status and mileage, with results surfaced clearly at the top of the report.
Designed for mobile, it gives you a fast, clear answer whether you are at home or standing next to the car.
Drawback: Carpeep is newer than long-established names like HPI.
At £15, Carpeep gives you a full car history check in a clearer, more focused report built around how UK buyers actually make decisions.
Best for: Buyers who want a well-known name on the report
HPI is the longest-established name in UK vehicle history checking. Its reports are widely recognised in the trade and commonly referenced in dealer and private sale transactions. It covers finance, write-offs, stolen status and mileage in full.
Drawback: At £19.99, the price premium over Carpeep reflects brand recognition rather than additional UK data depth. If the certificate name matters to you, HPI is a credible choice. Otherwise, Carpeep covers the same checks.
Best for: Buyers who trust the RAC brand and want reassurance
The RAC is a well-known name in UK motoring. Its vehicle history check covers the standard UK risk categories. For buyers who prefer a familiar brand on the report, it is a solid and credible option.
Drawback: The RAC brand is the main differentiator. At £14.99 the underlying checks are comparable to other UK providers, and it does not clearly outperform either Carpeep or HPI on data or usability.
Best for: Buyers checking a car with UK or Irish registration history
MotorCheck covers the core UK risk categories: finance, write-offs, theft and mileage. It also has useful coverage for vehicles with Irish registration history, which gives it a specific advantage for that use case. The underlying data is solid.
Drawback: The report layout is dated and less intuitive than Carpeep's. You may need to work harder to extract the key result, rather than having it surfaced immediately. That matters on a phone screen.
Best for: Users who want a straightforward, no-frills check
CarCheck.co.uk provides a basic vehicle history check covering the core UK categories. It is a functional option that covers the essentials, with a simple and accessible interface.
Drawback: Report depth and presentation are more limited than the options above. For a significant purchase, Carpeep or HPI offer a more thorough and clearly structured check.
On a UK-registered car with no European history, most of what you are paying CarVertical for does not apply. A UK-focused report is built around the data that decides the purchase.
Here is the decision logic directly:
For most UK-registered cars that means complete UK risk data, presented clearly, without European overhead that does not apply to the vehicle. If you want that swap set out directly against CarVertical on price and cover, see our CarVertical alternative UK page.
You can review a full Carpeep car history check before purchasing to see exactly how results are presented.
CarVertical's free lookup returns basic vehicle details only; the finance, write-off, stolen and damage-history data sits behind the paid report. No free service covers what a paid check covers, but UK buyers can still pull useful information for nothing.
Free checks usually do not cover outstanding finance, insurance write-off categories, stolen markers or European salvage history. Those data sets sit with lenders, insurers, the police and continental sources.
For a free starting point that pulls the public data into one place, try our free car check.
CarVertical still makes sense in a few cases. Its European database becomes relevant if:
In these cases, the European database is the right tool. A UK-focused provider cannot replicate that data, and choosing one for an import vehicle would leave a meaningful gap.
For most UK buyers it is a UK-focused report such as Carpeep, which covers finance, write-offs, stolen status and mileage on UK-registered cars. If that is what you came for, our CarVertical alternative UK page sets the two out side by side on price and cover. For the wider market, see our guide to the best car history checks in the UK.
Because most UK used car purchases involve a UK-registered vehicle with no European history. Carpeep is built around that use case: UK data sources, a clear mobile-friendly report, and scope matched to what UK buyers need. CarVertical's European database does not apply to most UK cars.
For UK-registered cars, yes. HPI covers the same core UK checks with a report designed for the UK market. CarVertical's advantage over HPI is its European database, which only matters for imported or continental-history vehicles.
Carpeep covers everything UK buyers need at £15 in a clear, complete report. For buyers focused on the lowest outlay, MotorCheck covers the basics for £9.99, though the report experience is less refined.
When the car has European registration history, was recently imported, or may have had damage abroad that would not appear in UK records. CarVertical's continental data has no direct UK equivalent, making it the right tool in those cases.
Rarely. For a car registered in the UK since new with no continental history, the European database that defines CarVertical's proposition adds nothing. The core UK checks it includes are all available from dedicated UK providers.
The GOV.UK MOT history checker is free and provides official DVSA mileage data. It does not cover finance, write-offs or stolen status. For a UK-focused free option, try our free car check. There is no free alternative that covers all four checks. A £15 Carpeep report does.
CarVertical is the right tool for a car with genuine European history, and overkill for one without it. On a UK-registered car, a UK-focused report covers the checks that decide the purchase for less. If you want that swap laid out directly, use our CarVertical alternative UK page.
HPI suits buyers who want established brand recognition. RAC fits those who prefer a trusted motoring name. MotorCheck is a lower-cost option with useful Irish history coverage. CarCheck.co.uk covers the basics for buyers who want nothing more.
CarVertical remains the right choice for imported cars and vehicles with European registration history. For everything else, a UK-focused provider is the more proportionate decision.
If you want to compare Carpeep against the full range of UK providers, our complete guide to the best car history checks in the UK covers the broader market.
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