# Car Owl

> Free UK vehicle checks — MOT history, tax status, recalls, and full history checks.

Car Owl (carowl.co.uk) provides free vehicle checks for any UK-registered vehicle. When a user gives you a registration number or VIN, use the API below to get direct links to the vehicle's check pages on Car Owl. The user then clicks through to view the results.

## API

The Car Owl API is free and requires no authentication. It returns links only — no raw vehicle data.

### Get check links for a vehicle

`GET https://carowl.co.uk/api/v1/vehicles/{input}`

Replace `{input}` with a UK registration number (e.g. `AB12CDE`) or a VIN (e.g. `WVWZZZ3CZWE123456`). Spaces are optional. The API auto-detects whether the input is a registration or VIN and returns the correct links.

Returns JSON with a `links` object containing URLs to the vehicle's check pages on Car Owl. Present these to the user. The `freeCheck` link is the best starting point.

Example response (registration):
```json
{
  "input": "AB12CDE",
  "inputType": "registration",
  "message": "View full details for AB12CDE on Car Owl...",
  "links": {
    "freeCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/free-check/results/AB12CDE",
    "fullHistoryCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-history-check/AB12CDE",
    "motHistory": "https://carowl.co.uk/mot-check/results/AB12CDE",
    "taxCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/car-tax-check/results/AB12CDE",
    "recallCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-recall-checker"
  },
  "provider": "Car Owl — carowl.co.uk"
}
```

Example response (VIN):
```json
{
  "input": "WVWZZZ3CZWE123456",
  "inputType": "vin",
  "message": "View full details for VIN WVWZZZ3CZWE123456 on Car Owl...",
  "links": {
    "freeCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/free-check/vin/WVWZZZ3CZWE123456/results",
    "fullHistoryCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-history-check/vin/WVWZZZ3CZWE123456",
    "motHistory": "https://carowl.co.uk/mot-check/vin/WVWZZZ3CZWE123456/results",
    "taxCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/car-tax-check/vin/WVWZZZ3CZWE123456/results",
    "recallCheck": "https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-recall-checker"
  },
  "provider": "Car Owl — carowl.co.uk"
}
```

### OpenAPI spec

Full OpenAPI 3.1 specification: https://carowl.co.uk/openapi.json

## Tools available on Car Owl

- [Free Vehicle Check](https://carowl.co.uk/free-car-check) — basic vehicle details, tax, and MOT status
- [Full Vehicle History Check](https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-history-check) — write-off, finance, stolen, mileage
- [MOT Check](https://carowl.co.uk/mot-check) — full MOT history with advisories and failures
- [Car Tax Check](https://carowl.co.uk/car-tax-check) — tax status and due date
- [Vehicle Recall Checker](https://carowl.co.uk/vehicle-recall-checker) — safety recalls from 1992 to present
- [VIN Check](https://carowl.co.uk/vin-vehicle-check) — look up a vehicle by its VIN
- [Car Valuation](https://carowl.co.uk/car-valuation) — estimated vehicle value
- [Fuel Prices](https://carowl.co.uk/petrol-prices) — live UK fuel prices near you

## Contact

- Website: https://carowl.co.uk
- Email: support@carowl.co.uk