Vehicle check

UK registration lookup

Free number plate check

Enter a UK registration to see vehicle details, MOT, tax, mileage and VehicleScore.

Trusted by 5,000,000+ drivers every year

What a number plate check is

A number plate check is a registration lookup. You type the plate, we match the vehicle, and you get a free VehicleScore dashboard. Searches for car registration check and reg check are the same job — one plate, one check.

It is not a police terminal and it is not the DVLA website. It is VehicleScore’s free lookup, the same flow as the homepage.

What you can see from a UK registration

Where the records exist, the free dashboard can include:

Not every field appears on every car. If we do not hold a specification or a test result, the dashboard leaves it blank rather than guessing.

Number plate check vs DVLA records

The DVLA holds the official keeper, tax and MOT records. VehicleScore uses licensed vehicle data to show a practical buyer-facing summary. For a walkthrough of official data points, see the DVLA vehicle check.

A plate does not reveal the keeper’s name or address. We do not show that, and we do not claim to.

What a number plate cannot tell you

The free check does not include:

  • Outstanding finance
  • Stolen markers
  • Insurance write-off category
  • Salvage auction history
  • Previous keeper names

Those records sit in the paid vehicle history check after you have opened the free dashboard.

How to check a car from its registration

  1. Type the plate into the box above. Spaces do not matter.
  2. Open the free VehicleScore to confirm make, model and MOT.
  3. Compare the dashboard mileage with the odometer on the car.
  4. If you are buying, continue to Hidden History for finance, stolen, write-off and salvage.

Related lookups

If you already know you want a broader free snapshot, the free car check is the same registration flow with more general wording. Use this page when you specifically want a number plate or registration lookup.

For engine, size and emissions figures across a model range, use the car spec check.

Enter a UK registration to open the free VehicleScore. Hidden History is optional from the dashboard.

Hear from people like you

Recent reviews from people who checked a car before they bought.

  • Simple, informative, easy to navigate and gives confidence in the decision making process.

    Keith

    Verified Customer

  • Brilliant, easy to use, will use VehicleScore for all my car purchases in the future.

    Peter

    Verified Customer

  • Very helpful and a necessary part of buying a car privately. Two cars showed up faults — one was a cat S, the other had finance outstanding. This third one is totally clear. Thank you for the service.

    Michael

    Verified Customer

Frequently Asked Questions

A number plate check uses a UK registration — the plate on the car — to look up vehicle records. People also search for this as a car registration check or reg check. It is the same lookup.

VehicleScore opens a free dashboard from that plate: identity, MOT, tax or SORN, mileage readings and a score out of 999.

Yes. Number plate, registration and reg all mean the same identifier in the UK. You do not need a separate page or a second search.

Where we hold the data, the free check can show make and model, year, fuel type, colour, engine size, power, MOT status and history, tax or SORN, recorded mileage, and VehicleScore.

It does not show outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off category or salvage auction history. Those sit in the paid Hidden History Check.

No. VehicleScore is not the DVLA. We use official and licensed vehicle data to run our own check.

If you want the government MOT or tax pages, start from our DVLA vehicle check explainer and follow the official links there.

You can enter any current UK registration format. If we cannot recognise the vehicle, the lookup says so — we do not invent a result.