Every year in the UK tens of thousands of used cars are sold where they have a hidden history. There is no way to tell the history of a car by examining it, the only way to tell is to carry out a car registration check.
A car data check is designed to provide you with information about the history of a car that you have provided the registration of. It is a way for you to find out if the car has had an accident and has been subsequently written off, if the car has been stolen or if there is any outstanding finance on the vehicle.
There are two ways that you can get one of these reg check done, online or using your mobile phone. Both methods have there advantages and disadvantages and both are suited to different situations.
If you are out and about looking at cars and find a car that you think you may be interested in then it is more convenient to do a car text check. This is where you text the car registration to a car data checking company, you then get a text message back with a summary of data about the car.
The advantages of a car text check is that they are easy to do whilst you are out and about and do not have access to a computer. They tend to be cheaper than an online check but are not as comprehensive. A text check will give you enough information to decide whether or not it is worth pursuing further information about the car.
A more comprehensive type of car data check is an online one, you will need an internet connected computer to carry out this type of check. This is done by visiting the site of a car checking company where you enter the registration of the car. This generally costs more than a text check but does provide you with a more comprehensive set of information. People tend to do this type of check once they have found a car that they want to buy and just want to confirm there are no hidden problems. Companies often also provide a guarantee with this type of check.
One thing a data checking service will not provide is the current or previous details of the past owners of the car. Due to the data protection act this information is not available. The only way to confirm car ownership is to see the sellers V5 ownership documentation which should show the current owners name and address.