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.
For a UK-registered car, Carpeep gives you a clear, modern history report for £15 instead of CarVertical’s £39.99.
One full report: Carpeep £15 · HPI Full £19.99 · CarVertical £39.99. Want the two side by side? See our CarVertical alternative UK page.
CarVertical costs £39.99 for a single UK report (£62.97 for three), 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 | Problems first, every MOT, £30,000 data guarantee |
| CarVertical | £39.99 | European history and damage photos | Cross-border records, salvage auction photos |
| HPI Check | £19.99 | Established brand | Valuation and recall status |
| RAC | £14.99 | RAC familiarity | HPI’s check under the RAC name |
| MotorCheck | £9.99 | A UK and Irish provider | Core checks |
Best for: Most UK car buyers
Carpeep is a premium report for £15, not £39.99. It opens with a plain-English summary of anything that needs attention, then shows outstanding finance with the lender and dates, the write-off category, date and insurer, police stolen markers and insurer theft records, every MOT with its advisories, mileage on a chart and the date of each keeper change.
Every report comes with a £30,000 data guarantee, and there is no account to create.
Drawback: Carpeep is newer than long-established names like HPI.
At £15, or £35 for three, Carpeep gives you a full car history check for less than half the price of a CarVertical report.
Best for: Buyers who want a well-known name on the report
HPI is the best-known name in UK vehicle history checking. Its £19.99 Full Check covers finance, write-offs, stolen status and mileage, and adds a valuation where available and safety recall status.
Drawback: The £9.99 Basic Check leaves out write-off details and mileage checks, so the comparable report is £19.99, £4.99 more than Carpeep.
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 uses HPI data and covers the standard UK risk categories.
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 who want a lower headline price
MotorCheck covers the core UK risk categories: finance, write-offs, theft and mileage, for £9.99. It says it is the only history check provider operating in both Ireland and the UK.
Drawback: Its free check confirms the car's identity rather than showing its MOT history, and every buyer is given an account.
On a UK-registered car with no European history, CarVertical’s cross-border records matter much less, and a UK-focused report covers 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.
One Carpeep report is £15 against £39.99 for CarVertical, £24.99 less. Three Carpeep reports are £35 against £62.97 for three CarVertical reports.
Rarely. For a car registered in the UK since new with no continental history, the European database that defines CarVertical's proposition matters much less, and Carpeep gives you the UK checks in a premium report for £15, not £39.99.
Yes, for the basics. Carpeep’s free car check shows MOT history, mileage, tax status and key car details at no cost. Finance, write-off and stolen checks need a full report, which is £15 at Carpeep.
Our top choice for a UK-registered car is Carpeep: a premium report for £15, not £39.99, with any problems summarised first and a £30,000 data guarantee CarVertical doesn't offer. CarVertical is built for cars with genuine European history. If you want that swap laid out directly, use our CarVertical alternative UK page.
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.
Enter the reg to check finance, write-offs, theft and mileage in one £15 report.
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