The identifier the Association of British Insurers assigns to a specific vehicle derivative. It is what most rating engines key on, and it is derivative-level rather than model-level: two cars of the same make, model and year can carry different codes and different insurance groups.

Can we run this inside a quote journey without slowing it down?

Yes. It is a single REST call returning JSON, and recent results are served from our own records within the freshness window rather than re-fetched from the source. Most integrations call it as the customer tabs out of the registration field.

What write-off categories do you return?

The category as recorded. A, B, S or N under the current scheme, and C or D on older records: along with the date it was recorded and the number of write-off records on the vehicle.

Can we check the mileage story as well?

Yes. The provenance check returns every recorded odometer reading with its date and source, plus a flag when the record is inconsistent: what the trade calls clocking.

Are we the data controller?

Where the data we return is personal data, you act as controller and we act as processor for its delivery. You need a lawful basis for the purpose you are using it for; our terms set out the restrictions that apply.

For insurers & brokers

Price accurately and spot risk before you bind the policy.

Confirm the vehicle from the registration, check its provenance, and see the spec that actually drives risk, in one call, at quote time.

Start free Talk to sales

One call: spec, provenance and valuation
From 4p: per vehicle validation
Cat A to N: write-off categories returned

What gets in the way

Quotes priced on customer-declared vehicle details
Undisclosed write-off history surfacing at claim time
Manual provenance checks that slow the quote journey
Spec and options that materially change the risk being missed

What you can do instead

Pre-fill quote forms from a number plate to cut abandonment
Flag write-off, stolen and finance markers before binding
Rate on verified factory spec, not free-text input

How it works

Three steps

Take the registration

One field at the top of the quote form, instead of make, model, derivative, year and engine size.

Validate and enrich

Confirm the vehicle exists, pull the factory spec, and check provenance in the same journey.

Rate on verified data

Price against what the register says rather than what was typed, and record what you checked.

ABI codes and why the spec matters more than the model

An ABI code is the fifty-character identifier the Association of British Insurers assigns to a specific vehicle derivative, and it is what most rating engines key on. Two cars that share a make, model and year can carry different ABI codes, sit in different insurance groups and rate very differently, because the derivative accounts for engine, body style, transmission and the security and safety equipment fitted. That is why a quote built from customer-declared make and model is guessing: the customer knows they drive a Golf, not which of the several dozen derivatives they own. Resolving the registration to the actual vehicle, with the factory options that came with it, is what turns a declared vehicle into a rateable one, and it is also what stops an undisclosed upgrade turning into a voided policy at claim time.

Every field you ask for is a field they can get wrong

A quote form that asks for make, model, derivative, year and engine size is asking a customer to reproduce information from a V5C they probably cannot find. Some of it will be wrong, some of it will be guessed, and each additional field costs completions. Replacing all of it with a registration lookup shortens the journey and improves the data you rate on at the same time, which is unusual, because those two things normally pull against each other.

Spec is where the risk actually hides

Two vehicles with the same make, model and year can carry materially different risk depending on what was fitted at the factory. Driver assistance, alarm and immobiliser specification, wheel size and performance packs all move the number, and none of them are things a customer will volunteer accurately. Rating on the options actually fitted to the specific vehicle rather than on a model-level average is the difference between pricing the car and pricing the brochure.

Provenance at quote time, not at claim time

A previously written-off vehicle, an outstanding finance agreement or a stolen marker changes the decision. Discovering any of them during a claim investigation changes it far more expensively. A provenance check at quote time costs a few pounds and returns the write-off category, any finance agreements on record, the police stolen marker, and the mileage record with an inconsistency flag: enough to decline, refer or reprice before you are on risk.

Recommended APIs

Where to start

Vehicle Details

DVLA registration data by VRM — make, colour, fuel, CO₂, tax and MOT status.

From 4p / 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

Vehicle Valuation

Trade, retail and private values for any UK vehicle.

From 16p / lookup

Where it gets used

Common jobs

Quote pre-fill

Replace five vehicle fields with one registration field and populate the rest from the DVLA record. Fewer abandoned quotes, better data underneath them.

Underwriting referral rules

Use write-off category, finance markers and mileage anomalies as automatic referral triggers rather than something an underwriter has to remember to check.

Renewal validation

Re-check at renewal to catch a vehicle written off and repaired, a plate transfer or a keeper change during the policy year.

Total loss settlement

Support a settlement figure with a current market valuation on trade, retail and private positions.

FAQ

Insurance questions

What is an ABI code?: The identifier the Association of British Insurers assigns to a specific vehicle derivative. It is what most rating engines key on, and it is derivative-level rather than model-level: two cars of the same make, model and year can carry different codes and different insurance groups.
Can we run this inside a quote journey without slowing it down?: Yes. It is a single REST call returning JSON, and recent results are served from our own records within the freshness window rather than re-fetched from the source. Most integrations call it as the customer tabs out of the registration field.
What write-off categories do you return?: The category as recorded. A, B, S or N under the current scheme, and C or D on older records: along with the date it was recorded and the number of write-off records on the vehicle.
Can we check the mileage story as well?: Yes. The provenance check returns every recorded odometer reading with its date and source, plus a flag when the record is inconsistent: what the trade calls clocking.
Are we the data controller?: Where the data we return is personal data, you act as controller and we act as processor for its delivery. You need a lawful basis for the purpose you are using it for; our terms set out the restrictions that apply.

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.

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