A comprehensive breakdown of what's included in your Vinfo vehicle history report and how to interpret the information to make confident purchasing decisions.
What is a Vehicle History Report?
A vehicle history report is a detailed document that consolidates critical information about a specific vehicle from multiple authoritative sources. It provides a complete picture of the vehicle's history, legal status, and current condition, enabling you to make an informed purchase decision.
Vinfo reports are generated instantly, pulling together DVLA registration data, DVSA MOT history and — on a Full Check — finance, write-off, stolen-vehicle and mileage data supplied by our specialist vehicle data provider.
Report Sections Explained
What's Included:
- Make, model, and variant
- Year of manufacture and registration
- Engine size and fuel type
- Transmission type (manual/automatic)
- Body style and color
- CO2 emissions and tax band
- VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
Why It Matters: Ensures the vehicle matches the seller's description and helps verify its true identity. Discrepancies here could indicate fraud.
What's Included:
- Current finance agreement status
- Finance company details (if applicable)
- Agreement type (HP, PCP, lease, etc.)
- Settlement status
What to Do: If finance is found, request that the seller settles it before sale, or use a secure settlement service. Never buy a vehicle with outstanding finance without proper legal protection.
What's Included:
- Police National Computer (PNC) status
- Stolen vehicle marker
- Active theft reports
What to Do: If a vehicle shows as stolen, do not proceed with the purchase under any circumstances. Report the listing to police.
What's Included:
- Insurance write-off status (Cat A, B, S, N)
- Date and type of incident
- Estimated damage cost (if available)
- Current condition code
Write-Off Categories Explained:
| Category | Description | Road Legal? |
|---|---|---|
| Cat A | Scrap only - complete destruction | ❌ Never |
| Cat B | Break for parts - body shell crushed | ❌ Never |
| Cat S | Structural damage (repairable) | ✅ After repair |
| Cat N | Non-structural damage (repairable) | ✅ After repair |
Impact on Value: Write-offs can reduce a vehicle's value by 20-50%, even after professional repair. Consider this when negotiating price.
What's Included:
- Recorded mileage from multiple sources
- MOT test mileage readings with dates
- Service history mileage (when available)
- Discrepancy analysis and alerts
- Average annual mileage calculation
- Steady, consistent mileage progression
- Annual mileage between 7,000-12,000 miles (average UK driver)
- No sudden drops or unexplained gaps
Red Flags:
- Mileage decreases between readings
- Unusually low mileage for vehicle age
- Large gaps in recorded history
- Current odometer reading lower than previous records
Impact: Clocked vehicles have hidden wear and may need expensive repairs sooner than expected. Resale value is also significantly affected.
What's Included:
- Complete MOT test history (passes and failures)
- Test dates and expiry dates
- Mileage at each test
- Failure reasons and advisories
- Test station details
How to Read MOT History:
- Green (Pass): Vehicle met minimum safety standards
- Red (Fail): Critical issues found - check what was repaired
- Amber (Advisory): Items requiring attention soon
What to Look For: Recurring problems (same components failing repeatedly), pattern of neglect (multiple advisories ignored), or recent expensive repairs that may indicate underlying issues.
What's Included:
- Current registration number
- Previous registration numbers
- Date of each plate change
- Number of changes
Why It Matters: Multiple plate changes, especially recent ones, can indicate attempts to hide the vehicle's history or mask its true identity. Single plate changes for personalization are normal.
What's Included:
- Number of previous keepers
- Date of last keeper change
- Average ownership duration
Interpretation: Fewer keepers generally indicates better care. Multiple owners in short periods might suggest problems. However, some vehicles (like fleet/rental cars) naturally have more keepers.
How to Use Your Vehicle History Report
1. Review Immediately
Read your report thoroughly before viewing the vehicle or making any commitments. Note any red flags or concerns.
2. Verify Details
Cross-check the report against the vehicle's documents (V5C logbook) and physical condition during viewing.
3. Ask Questions
Use the report to ask informed questions about any issues discovered. A honest seller should be able to explain historical problems.
4. Negotiate Price
Use any findings to negotiate a fair price. Write-offs, high mileage, or poor MOT history should be reflected in a lower asking price.
Report Validity & Updates
Your vehicle history report is valid at the time of generation and reflects the most current data available from our sources. However, vehicle situations can change:
- Finance agreements can be settled
- Stolen status can be updated
- New MOT tests add records
For this reason, we recommend running your check as close to purchase as possible, ideally within 24-48 hours of completing the transaction.
Keep a copy
Every report is saved to your Vinfo dashboard and emailed to you, so you have a timestamped record of what the data showed on the day you checked — useful when negotiating, or if a question comes up about the vehicle later.