Can you give a valuation at a past date?

Valuations reflect the current market position at the time of the call, which is why claims handlers typically pull one as soon as the claim is opened rather than at settlement. We do not backdate a valuation to a date of loss that has already passed.

How far back does the MOT advisory history go?

As far as the DVSA record goes for that vehicle: every test, with the result, the odometer reading and the advisory and failure notes recorded by the tester.

Does the provenance check show earlier write-offs?

Yes, with the category and the date recorded, plus the number of write-off records held against the vehicle.

Can we run these checks in bulk across a claims book?

Yes. the bulk endpoint takes up to 50 registrations per call, and CSV output is available if that suits your workflow better than JSON.

For claims & accident management

Settle on the vehicle that was actually on the road.

Establish what the vehicle was, what it was worth and what was already recorded against it, before the estimate, the total-loss decision or the hire vehicle is authorised.

Start free Talk to sales

Trade, retail, private: three valuation positions
Full history: every MOT advisory on record
From 16p: per valuation at Tier 5

What gets in the way

Total-loss figures argued over because nobody agreed the vehicle spec
Pre-existing damage disputed with no record to point at
Credit hire authorised against a vehicle nobody validated
Provenance markers discovered only once a settlement is on the table

What you can do instead

Support a settlement figure with a dated market valuation
Evidence prior condition from the MOT advisory history
Validate the vehicle and its provenance before authorising hire
Establish the specification that the valuation actually rests on

How it works

Three steps

Validate the vehicle

Confirm the registration resolves to a real vehicle and pull the DVLA record, before anything is authorised against it.

Establish value and condition

Take a valuation and the MOT advisory history in the same journey, so the pre-accident position is on file from day one.

Check what was already recorded

A provenance check surfaces earlier write-offs, mileage inconsistencies and plate transfers that change the settlement.

Most valuation disputes are specification disputes

When a total-loss figure is contested, the argument is rarely about the valuation method. It is about whether the vehicle being valued is the vehicle that was written off: the trim level, the options fitted, the mileage. Pulling the factory specification from the registration puts that on file at the point of the claim rather than reconstructing it afterwards from an advert the claimant has found. It does not remove disagreement, but it moves it onto ground where there is a record.

The MOT history is an underused condition record

Every MOT test on a UK vehicle records the mileage at the time and any advisories the tester noted: corrosion, worn tyres, damaged bodywork. That is a dated, independent record of the vehicle's condition before the incident, produced by someone with no interest in the claim. For pre-existing damage arguments it is often the only such record that exists, and it costs pennies to pull.

Validate before you authorise hire

Credit hire exposure starts the moment a vehicle is authorised. Confirming that the registration resolves to a real vehicle of the class being claimed, that it is taxed and in MOT, and that nothing obvious sits against it on the provenance record, is a cheap gate to put in front of an expensive commitment.

Recommended APIs

Where to start

Vehicle Valuation

Trade, retail and private values for any UK vehicle.

From 16p / lookup

MOT History

Every DVSA MOT test, mileage reading and advisory for a vehicle.

From 2p / lookup

Provenance Check

Write-off, outstanding finance, stolen and scrapped markers in one call.

From £2.34 / lookup

Spec & Options

The factory equipment and options fitted to a specific vehicle.

From 10p / lookup

Where it gets used

Common jobs

Total loss valuation

Pull trade, retail and private positions at the date of loss and record the specification the figure was based on.

Pre-existing damage

Use the MOT advisory history as a dated, independent record of the vehicle's condition before the incident.

Credit hire validation

Confirm the vehicle exists, its class, and its tax and MOT status before authorising a hire vehicle against it.

Salvage and categorisation

Check whether the vehicle already carried a write-off category, and whether the mileage record is consistent, before agreeing a category.

FAQ

Claims & accident management questions

Can you give a valuation at a past date?: Valuations reflect the current market position at the time of the call, which is why claims handlers typically pull one as soon as the claim is opened rather than at settlement. We do not backdate a valuation to a date of loss that has already passed.
How far back does the MOT advisory history go?: As far as the DVSA record goes for that vehicle: every test, with the result, the odometer reading and the advisory and failure notes recorded by the tester.
Does the provenance check show earlier write-offs?: Yes, with the category and the date recorded, plus the number of write-off records held against the vehicle.
Can we run these checks in bulk across a claims book?: Yes. the bulk endpoint takes up to 50 registrations per call, and CSV output is available if that suits your workflow better than JSON.

Official registers

Vehicle records from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service, MOT records from the DVSA MOT History API.

Charged on delivery

You are charged on a successful lookup. A lookup that returns nothing costs nothing.

No lock-in

No contract and no minimum. Credits last 12 months; monthly plans are rolling.

UK data protection

You act as controller and we act as processor for delivery, under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Try it on your own data

Create an account, get starter credits, and run your first lookup in minutes.

Start free