Check a Licence Plate Instantly

Enter a licence plate number to get MOT status, tax info, mileage history, and more in seconds.

The Car Owl mascot driving a blue cartoon car is waving at you.
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The basics

What Is a Licence Plate Check?

A licence plate check lets you view key details about a car using its plate number. Use our free car licence plate checker to access MOT history, tax status, and mileage records. Want to see finance, write-off or theft data? Upgrade to a full vehicle history check.

Vehicle Specs Icon

Check Car Plates

Enter a plate to see the vehicle’s make, model, fuel type, CO2 rating, and more.

MOT and Tax Icon

MOT & Tax Lookup

Check if the vehicle has valid MOT and tax before you buy.

Finance and Damage Icon

Unlock Full History (Optional)

Upgrade to see if the car is financed, written off, or reported stolen.

Ownership History Icon

Mileage & Ownership Data

See how many owners the car had and check for mileage tampering.

Anatomy of a plate

What a licence plate tells you before you check it

Tap any block. The two digits in the middle are the half-year the car was first registered, and they are the quickest way to catch a listing describing a car as newer than it is.

The two digits

Age identifier

The two digits are the half-year the vehicle was first registered. March to August uses the year itself. September to February adds 50, which is why a 69 plate is a 2019 vehicle and not a 1969 one.

Code
17
First registered
March to August 2017
Changes each
1 March and 1 September
Watch for
A private plate hiding the real age

This format has been used on every new UK registration since September 2001. It applies to cars, vans and motorbikes alike. Older plates follow different schemes, and a private plate can hide a vehicle's age entirely.

Step by step

How Do I Check a Licence Plate?

Enter a car’s licence plate number into our tool to instantly view MOT history, mileage, road tax, and more, all for free.

Ford Focus
NC21 XBA
AI Overview
  • Plate Confirmed
  • MOT Valid
  • Taxed
Specification
Year
2019
Colour
Blue
Fuel
Petrol
Engine
1,997 cc

Find the Licence Plate

Look at the plate on the vehicle or find it on the logbook (V5C document).

Enter the Plate Number

Type the number into our car check licence plate tool and click 'Check'.

Get Instant Results

We’ll instantly return the car’s MOT status, mileage, tax status and more.

Inside the report

And what the plate cannot tell you

Age and issuing office are printed on the plate itself. Finance, theft and write-off records are not, and those are the ones that decide whether a car is safe to buy.

Is the vehicle still on finance?

If a lender still has an interest in the vehicle, they can repossess it from your driveway. The seller keeps your money.

Searched against
The UK finance register
Agreement types
PCP, HP, lease, unit stocking
Report shows
Agreement type, date and status
Recorded by
The lender, not the seller

Source: UK Finance Register

Also in every full report: VIC marker · Unpaid loan records · Common faults and typical repair costs · Fuel cost calculator · Priority support · Money-back promise

What drivers say

Stories From People Just Like You

I use this Service to check out a vehicle for a friend mine before he purchased it.. Highly recommend recommended

Fantastic report. 100% worth the money whether you are selling or buying a used car.

Quick and straightforward. Recommended to all car buyers.

Bought a old moped with no paper work went on car owl and found all details great thanks

Very helpful, easy to navigate and gave me all the information I was looking for. Would use again.

Much more info than another car check i used and cleared up some confusing details that would have made me miss a very good purchase. Thanks Car Owl.

Very useful website, enabling me to find my reg number from VIN and to download and print out data sheet etc. good customer service. with follow up emails

Car owl saved my day and gave me comfort while buying , the only concern for me is clutch control ,but yeah over all i am happy with the carowl service thankyou

All good, fair service, nice follow up. Recommend

Fast and easy to use

I was very pleased to get my report from car owl. It was comprehensive and informative. I would not hesitate to recommend car owl..

Hi all the details I needed about the car were available. Helped me decide to make the purchase with more confidence. Would recommend.

Easy to use and a fair price. Results cam fast and clear.

Amazing service knew everything about a car i was buying including mileage data brilliant

Amazing service fast and affordable. Tried many other services to find details on a 12 digit frame number and nothing this company is fantastic. Highly recommend

Really helpful, any problems they sorted them straight away with really fast response. Big shout out to Caroline. Thanks very much.

Speedy and arrived as expected.

Very good service. Quick and efficienct. Helped me stop buying a car that had been stolen by the stripies. Fully recommend!

CarOwl helped me find a lost registration number for a motorbike I own. I had almost given up after years of searching. Thanks!!!!

Purchased a detailed Full Vehicle Report on a used car red flagging a finance issue, which was resolved in discussion with the vendor

Fast efficient service at very reasonable cost. Will use again

Way better than other car checks that are available on the internet really helpful when I wanted to purchase my next car , thanks!

Was very quick and informative. All the data was correct. Useful and gave me peace of mind

I was very pleased to find Car Owl. My campervan was made in Brazil. All the other vehicle check sites that did the same thing could not identify my campervan due to not being able to find the data needed to generate a report. Then I found Car Owl online and they did what the others couldn't. Thank you

Reasonable price for a fantastic report on a vehicle check. Information second to none 5 star.

Used Car Owl when looking to buy a second hand car. Easy to use and very informative. Got the car's history straight away and hassle free. Would recommend and I would definitely use again next I'm buying a used car for peace of mind.

Superb website and service

Indepth and prompt

Great, helped me out of a bind, I had a motorbike frame I had lost the log book and reg plate for, using Car Owl and inputting the frame number allowed me to see the reg number and apply for a new log book- frame would of been scrap otherwise.

Used the vin to get vrm,great service

Excellent service. Provided all the information I needed when buying a new car

Quick and easy to use service, got all the information I needed about the car I was going to buy.

Great service. Bought my car with peace of mind after receiving a detailed report from Car Owl. Highly recommend.

Showed me import details i didnt see on any other car checker

Excellent service. Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for; there was a follow-up email after the report was delivered to my in-box. That allowed me to query some of the report's details, and my queries were answered with detailed explanation of the meaning of the report, and the reasons for some of the detail differing from that in other providers' reports. I was left with a much better understanding of the history of the car I was interested in. Thank you Car Owl.

Good, accurate results quickly. Just what I needed.

Quick and accurate information! Very useful.

Process was easy to follow and I was provided with report immediately, giving me confidence about the vehicle I wanted to purchase. Good follow up customer service with email to check if I had obtained all the information I needed.

Great product, if you are buying a car privately or even from a well known dealership, it's best to get a deeper understanding of what car you may buy, because not everyone can be honest. I will be using this again for future car sales!

Perfect

I found Car Owl very useful it supplied all the information I wanted and also the offer of further help if I needed it which was much appreciated

Great product. Would definitely use this service again . Well worth investing a little for a lot of knowledge . Thank you

Quick and easy. Fair price and gives all information needed with a vin number and reg

Brilliant tool that helped me feel confident about buying a used car. I was able to check out the history of the vehicle before seeing it, to ensure I knew the info given was correct, and check it had no hidden issues. The fact that the check goes deep enough to show previous number plates that have been on a vehicle and at what time etc just shows the quality. Once I was with the car and happy I wanted to proceed, I was able to enter the vin number onto the report and it confirmed that it was in fact the correct car. Hoping not to buy a car any time soon but will definitely use again when I do.

Gave me the information i needed, would happily use again!

My second time using car owl , and certainly didn't disappoint, they guys really do take out all the hard work, great effective services highly recommend

A clear and precise report.

Was about to buy a car that looked like a great deal but decided to check Car Owl just to be safe. Thank god I did man. The report showed it still had finance on it and had been written off twice. The seller didn't mention a word about it. Honestly this report saved me a fortune. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind.

Very helpful and informative

I found it very easy to get the exact information I required so was very happy

Great service for instant and clear reports on a car with way more details than expected. Definitely recommended.

Easy to use service that presented data in a clear and easy to consume way. Would happily use again and recommend to others.

Gave me all the information I needed in one place.

Carowl gave an instant report to me flagging an issue with the car I was about to buy. This helped me take the right decision.

Car Owl was very helpful to me and very quick getting back to me, they had all the information that I require, I highly recommend Car Owl for all your needs regarding your vehicle, Many thanks

I hadn't heard of Car Owl until a friend suggested it and glad they did because that small fee prevents you finding out your vehicle has been a write off and then end up having so much hassle and stress to get your car returned and your money back like they had and ended up out of pocket by a lot of money. Everyone needs to use Car Owl before buying a car and finding out the history of their car.

Very good and easy too use as a company

Good site and very helpful. I found what I needed and will recommend the site to friends.

Found a car I really liked online and was about to put down a deposit, but thought I'd run a quick Car Owl check first just to be sure. Turned out the mileage had been tampered with and it had failed multiple inspections in the past. The ad made it look spotless. Honestly can't believe how much info the report showed. Would've never known otherwise. Car Owl probably saved me thousands. Honestly, don't skip it

Put in my bike registration details and there was an issue with bike age intially. As a gesture of goodwill the team sorted my issue. Thank you very much

Very helpful thank you

Very good service

I used Car Owl for peace of mind before buying. The report was clear and covered way more than I expected. Helped me feel confident walking into the deal.

Great service that provides all the information needed to make an well informed decision. I would highly recommend Car Owl.

very updated

Woulda bought an incredibly faulty e46 if it wasn't for carowl, thanks lads

I was looking to buy a used car that seemed like a great deal. Just to be sure, I bought a history report from Car Owl and I'm so glad I did. The report showed the car still had outstanding finance and had been written off twice. The seller didn't mention any of that. Thanks to Car Owl, I avoided a bad purchase. Super helpful and definitely worth it if you're buying a car, even from abroad.

Very professional and easy to use service. Exactly what I was after, would highly recommend Car Owl!

Professional & faultless service. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Would definitely recommend anyone to use Carowl services!

Very good very quick and on the ball report

Good site and very helpful. I found what I needed and will recommend the site to my friends and colleagues.

Motorcycle vin with only 7 characters was causing issues with background checks and correct registration. This was the only company that provided the correct information. Recommended

Very good service

Good found out what I needed

very helpul . i am happy with the results

Really pleased with the app. Actually found some information that I have been trying to find for a while.

Really worth paying for this detailed background check. Gave me sufficient information to make a better informed decision and after the checks were done we decided not to buy the vehicle. Money well spent!

First rate (indeed- unbelievable- instant) response to emails. Brilliant Customer Service- RATE for this day and era. Their Customer Service demonstrates that Big Firms CAN have a personal relationship with their Inquirers. Brilliant Customer Service. Simply outstanding. Ad multos annos to all at Car Owl.

Stopped be buying a potential stolen vehicle. So well worth the cost of getting it checked

I used this to find the registration for a project car that I bought with no documentation so I could send off a v62… old vin so most places couldn't help. But this came straight back with all of the relevant information

Great service

Wry good detailed check

Very informative

Got all the information on my car. for a good price

great experience will use again

Revealed the car was still on finance. Without Car Owl I would have been stuck paying off someone else's loan. Highly recommend

Really easy to use and great service

Great platform. Extremely easy to use. Would recommend to anyone

Excellent service

I can highly recommend Car Owl. I received the best price for my car and the whole experience was quick and seamless. I had brilliant and professional service from start to finish. I will definitely use Car Owl again and I have recommended it to my friends and family.

Great selection of trade vehicles, super happy with my purchases so far. Thanks CarOwl!

Great team, great knowledge, great company. I highly reccomend

Great service

Very easy platform to use! Quick to list your car.

A few months back I was really struggling to even get recognition let alone being able to sell my cars online, until I came across Car Owl. They are just so reliable, one of the reasons being the customer service. If I ran into any issues they were resolved instantly and I had felt supported throughout the entire process. Since using them I haven't been able to turn back, I highly recommend them!

Fantastic service, easy and efficient. Highly recommended

A fresh approach to connecting buyers and sellers. Highly recommended.

Listed my car and surprisingly got quite a few offers. Am so happy to have finally have sold it. would definitely use again if I ever plan to sell again

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Answered

Licence Plate Check FAQs

Looking to check a car by licence plate? Here’s everything you need to know about running a quick and accurate plate check in the UK.

How do I check a licence plate number?

Just enter the licence plate into our online tool. You’ll instantly see MOT history, mileage records, road tax status, and more.

Can I check car plates for free?

Yes. Our free licence check plate service gives you access to key details at no cost. Upgrade if you want to see theft or finance records.

Is this a DVLA licence plate check?

Yes, we use data from DVLA, MOT history, and other official UK sources. It’s fast, free, and reliable.

Why it matters

Why Use a Car Licence Plate Checker?

Checking a licence plate before buying helps you avoid problems like unpaid finance, mileage fraud, or stolen vehicles. Always run a licence plate check for peace of mind.

Alert Icon

Avoid Stolen Vehicles

Upgrade to find out if the licence plate is linked to a stolen vehicle.

Finance Icon

Check for Finance

Make sure the car isn’t under finance or lease agreements.

Write-Off Icon

Spot Previous Damage

A full check will show write-offs, total losses, and repair history.

At a glance

Free Licence Plate Check UK

Fast, Free & Accurate Lookup

Check a car licence plate online and get MOT, mileage, tax, ULEZ, and vehicle specs in seconds. Use our free tool to check licence plate numbers anytime.

Search by Licence Plate

Run a car check by licence plate and get instant data pulled from trusted UK sources.

Free Unlimited Checks

You can check as many licence plates as you need, our free tool never limits basic lookups.

Still unsure?

Frequently Asked Questions About Licence Plate Checks

How do I check a licence plate?

Simply enter the licence plate number into our online checker. You'll instantly see MOT status, tax details, mileage records, and more.

Is this a license plate check with DVLA data?

Yes. We use trusted sources like the DVLA and MOT databases to give you accurate, real-time vehicle data based on the licence plate.

Can I check car plates for free?

Yes. You can check car plates at no cost with our free tool. See MOT dates, tax status, mileage, and key vehicle specs instantly.

What details can I get from a licence plate check?

A licence plate check gives you info like MOT history, mileage records, tax expiry, fuel type, engine size, and more. Upgrade for finance and theft data.

Can I check a car license plate from the US?

This tool is built for UK-registered vehicles. If you're in the UK, just enter a valid plate. For US plates, results may be limited.

Is this tool safe to use?

Yes. We don’t store your search history or licence plate data. It’s a secure and trusted tool used by thousands across the UK.

Can I run a licence plate check on any vehicle?

Yes. You can check any UK-registered vehicle, cars, vans, motorcycles, as long as the licence plate is valid and current.

Why should I check a car by licence plate before buying?

It helps you avoid hidden problems like expired MOT, missing tax, mileage fraud, or even a stolen car. It’s a must before buying used.

What is a licence check plate?

It means using the vehicle's registration number (licence plate) to pull key information from official records. Our tool makes this simple and fast.

Can I check multiple licence plates for free?

Yes. You can run as many free checks as you like to compare vehicles. Just enter each plate number one at a time.