Car Info by Reg – Free UK Registration Check

What can you check from a car registration?

A UK registration is the number on the plate. Enter it and VehicleScore matches the vehicle, then opens the same free dashboard as the homepage. You do not need the VIN, the logbook or the seller’s name.

It is a practical buyer check, not a DVLA account and not a police record. If we cannot recognise the registration, the lookup says so.

Free vehicle information available from a registration

Where the records exist, the free car check can show:

Missing fields stay blank. We do not fill gaps with a guess.

Make and model

The registration should match the car in front of you. If the seller says Focus and the check returns a different model, stop and ask why before you pay a deposit. Colour and year sit alongside make and model when we have them. For engine, size and emissions tables across a model range, use the car spec check.

MOT history

The MOT check shows whether the test is valid, when it expires, and the pass, fail and advisory history. A valid MOT is not a warranty. Advisories are items the tester flagged that did not fail the car that day — brakes, tyres, corrosion and suspension are worth reading before a viewing.

Tax status

The car tax check shows whether the vehicle is taxed or declared off the road (SORN). Tax status tells you if it is licensed to be used on the road. It does not tell you the annual rate you will pay after you become the keeper.

Mileage information

Each MOT stores an odometer reading. The mileage check lines those readings up so you can see whether the mileage has risen steadily. A drop, or a long gap, is a reason to ask questions. It is not, on its own, proof that the mileage has been altered.

Engine size and fuel type

Engine size and fuel type — petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric — come from the vehicle record, along with power when we hold it. Use them to check the advert matches the car, and to judge likely running costs. They are specification, not a history of repairs.

Date of first registration

The first-registration date is when the vehicle was first registered, which is usually close to when it was new. The free check shows the year and, where we hold it, the first-registration month. That date is more reliable than the plate if a private registration has been fitted. See how the age identifier works below.

What is a car registration check?

A car registration check, also called a reg check or car reg check, is a lookup that uses the registration to retrieve vehicle information. People search for the same job as a number plate check or a DVLA vehicle check. VehicleScore is not the DVLA. We use licensed vehicle data to show a free summary you can read before you travel to see a car.

The check confirms what the vehicle is and how it has been tested and licensed. It does not confirm that the seller is entitled to sell it, and it does not list previous keepers’ names.

How UK number plates work

Great Britain has used the current format since September 2001. A standard plate has three parts:

1. Two letters — the local memory tag, for the region of first registration.
2. Two numbers — the age identifier, for when that registration was issued.
3. Three letters — a random sequence.

A plate such as AB76 CDE is an illustration of that layout, not a vehicle we are quoting. Older cars may still carry a prefix plate (1983–2001, age letter at the front) or a suffix plate (1963–1983, age letter at the end). Dateless plates have no age identifier. Northern Ireland uses its own format and does not follow this age-identifier system. You can still enter a UK registration above; if we cannot match it, you will see that rather than an invented result.

What the first two letters mean

The first two letters are the local memory tag. The first letter is the broad region. The second letter identifies the local office area inside that region. LA is a London tag. MA is Manchester and Merseyside.

The tag records where the registration was first issued. It does not change when the car is sold to another part of the country, and it is not the keeper’s home address.

What the two-number age identifier means

The two numbers show the six-month period in which the registration was issued. From March to August the number is the year. From September to February it is the year plus 50.

The same rule runs back to 2001 (01 and 51). A private or cherished plate can be transferred, so a 76 plate is not proof the car was built in 2026. Compare the identifier with the first-registration year on the free check.

What the final three letters mean

On a standard issue the last three letters are a random sequence from the DVLA. They do not encode the owner, the dealer or the model. Some combinations are withheld. If you want specific letters, that is a private plate, which can be assigned later and moved between vehicles.

UK registration areas

These are the current Great Britain memory-tag regions. The first letter is the region of first registration. I, Q and Z are not used as that regional letter. Q marks still exist for vehicles whose age or identity is uncertain.

Free registration check or a full vehicle history check

The free check answers “what is this vehicle, and is the MOT and tax record in order?” A full history check answers “has anything happened to it that the plate and the MOT will not show?”

Buying this vehicle? Check its full history

A registration lookup is the right first step. It tells you the car’s identity, MOT, tax and mileage. If you are about to pay for it, those details do not show whether a lender still has an interest in the vehicle, whether it has been recorded stolen, or whether an insurer or a salvage auction has a record against it.

That sits in the paid vehicle history check, sold as Hidden History. Depending on the records held for that registration, it can include:

• Outstanding finance, including agreement type and finance company when returned
• Stolen markers, including status and police-force details when present
• Insurance write-off category (Cat A, B, S or N) when recorded
• Salvage auction history and salvage images where we hold them
• Previous plates and colour changes
• Previous keeper count and last keeper-change date — not keeper names
• Import and export flags
• Ex-taxi or private-hire markers, when recorded
• Scrapped status and certificate-of-destruction markers
• High-risk markers, when the provider returns them
• VIN confirmation against the plate you searched
• An eight-point market valuation, when available
• Experian data cover of up to £10,000 where that guarantee is included on the report

Not every field appears on every car. Dealer service records are a separate check — see service history.

Enter the registration to open the free VehicleScore. From that result you can continue to Hidden History for the records above.