It doesn’t get any more insightful than an HPI vehicle history check. Here’s why.

If history is your business, it helps if you’ve been around for a while. The HPI vehicle history check first appeared in 1938, so it’s both the original and the best at what it does.

There’s more to being the market leader than longevity, though, and HPI prides itself on its depth of insight and the breadth and quality of sources that make up its checks. Here, we unpack some of the key elements that make up an HPI Check and explore why it produces the most detailed and trusted vehicle history reports.

Best-in-class data

The HPI team works tirelessly to make the information in every vehicle check as precise as possible. Each history check has an accuracy level of 99.5%, and the data is drawn from a wide variety of highly reputable sources, including but not limited to:

• Government agencies, such as the DVLA, the DVSA and the Police National Computer.
• The Motor Insurance Bureau, which records vehicle accidents and can spot if a car has been written off.
• The National Mileage Register – HPI’s own, in-house database, which holds more than 500m records of vehicle mileage data.
• Major banks, funders and leasing companies to identify outstanding vehicle finance.

Trusted by consumers and industry alike

You don’t say pen, you say Biro. A Transit, not just a van. And when it comes to uncovering a car’s history, it’s an HPI Check, not just any report. Along with the company’s heritage, it’s the most trusted and recognised brand in the automotive reporting arena. It’s also the only brand in the marketplace for which vehicle history checking is its core business.

HPI provides a data warranty of up to £30,000 for consumers, backed up by a dedicated claims management team, as an additional guarantee of the credibility of its information. The company also won the Car Dealer Power award for best car check provider 10 times between 2013 and 2023 and best valuations provider nine times over the same period.

Speed

Everything that goes into an HPI check is linked to an individual vehicle’s registration number, and all you have to do to get one is visit the HPI homepage, punch in the reg and buy the check, which starts at £19.99. That’s all there is to it.

While that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t inspect a used vehicle in person, examine its paperwork or quiz the seller, there really isn’t a faster way to access and understand the on-paper aspects of a used vehicle’s history.

An HPI Check Will Tell You:

• If a vehicle has outstanding finance
• If it has been recorded as stolen
• If it is an insurance write-off
• The number of previous owners
• If it has been recorded as scrapped by the DVLA
• If the logbook belongs to the car in question
• If there are any mileage discrepancies
• If the number plates have changed
• If it has been imported or exported
• If it is subject to a manufacturer recall

An HPI check will also verify the VIN number, provide a guide valuation and estimated fuel costs, and includes an MOT history check. The latter element also incorporates a list of MOT advisories so, even if a vehicle passed its test, an HPI Check reveals exactly what the garage recommended the owner address. That tells buyers precisely where to look and what to ask the seller when they see the car in the metal.

Put simply, an HPI check tells you a vehicle’s story. It’s an elaborate tale with lots of detail, but it’s presented in an easily digestible format and draws your attention to anything of concern. Click here to read a sample report and see for yourself.