OUTSTANDING FINANCE- This car still belongs to a finance house…

One in four HPI enquiries carried out by the public identifies a vehicle with finance still owing on it. That's not surprising: the HPI Check accesses the UK's most accurate and comprehensive database of finance agreements with over 7.5 million current records. The loan which is secured against a vehicle - meaning that if you buy it, and the loan is not repaid, you may never legally own the vehicle or obtain good title. Where finance is recorded HPI will tell you who the loan is with, when it was taken out and for how long, the type of loan e.g. Hire purchase, finance etc. HPI will also give you a contact number and reference so that you can then make arrangements to investigate or settle any outstanding finance.

CONDITION ALERT - This car was declared a total loss by an insurer...

The HPI Check includes information on vehicles which have been declared "total losses" by insurers - over 500,000 each year - or notified to DVLA as having been scrapped. 1 in 25 vehicles checked by the public with HPI have been declared an insurance total loss as a result of damage, theft or both.

Many of these cars can be safely repaired and put back on the road - but others will always be "death traps." Since 1997 the HPI Check has used the Association of British Insurers' coding on the level of damage sustained, helping you tell the difference.

Brief explanation of insurance categories

Category A - May not be resold. Must be crushed. All of it.

Category B - Vehicle may not be returned to road. Parts may be sold.

Category C - Repairable. Possibly structural damage. Cost of damage (at dealer prices and labour rates) is more than book value of vehicle.

Category D - Repairable. Probably non-structural damage. May have been economic to repair, but insurer doesn't want to.

Category X - Repairable. Minor Damage. 

CONDITION THEFT - This car still belongs to an insurer...

Each year 150,000 thefts are recorded by insurers. The HPI Check will tell you about outstanding insurance interests against a vehicle you are looking to buy - which may mean you won't own it, however much you pay for it.

DOCUMENT CHECK - This car's documents are dodgy…

Stolen and forged V5/logbooks and MOT Certificates are in circulation. Any vehicle carrying a stolen V5 is likely to be cloned, rung or stolen. If this turns out to be the case, you risk losing both the vehicle and all the money you paid for it. And a car with a dodgy MOT will be in very poor mechanical condition.
Our new document check facility, unique to HPI, allows you to check the V5/logbook's issue date and serial number, and the number on the MOT.

National Mileage Register - This 32,000 mile car has really covered 132,000 miles…

The HPI Check uses information from the National Mileage Register to compare the reading you provide with the 85 million readings already on the database. If a discrepancy is detected, the HPI Check will reveal all the previous readings relating to that vehicle held on file. That could make the difference between buying a clean car and a clocked car.

VALUATION - This car is overpriced...

Using industry data, updated monthly, the HPI Check will indicate the current market value for an average example of the car you're considering using Glass’s/Cap guides as an indication- allowing you to negotiate with greater confidence.
Valuations provided subject to availability.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION - This GTi is a CL in disguise...

The HPI Check will confirm the identity of the vehicle you are looking to buy, using over 60 million identities recorded at the DVLA and DVLNI. This allows you to confirm the make, model, derivative (in most cases), door plan, original colour, transmission and engine size. HPI can also confirm how many keeper changes have been recorded - allowing you to spot those "one careful lady owner" lies ahead of time.

Vehicle ID also confirms the true age of the vehicle, in terms of the year it was built and the date it was first registered at DVLA. This helps you assess the plausibility of its mileage, and its true value.

VIN Disclosure/VIN match - Is it a ‘ringer’?...

The HPI Check allows you to enter a vehicle's VIN as well as its registration number (VRM). Provide both and HPI will tell you whether they correspond to DVLA and DVLNI (N. Ireland) records. If they don't, watch out. You may be looking at a car whose identity has been 'rung'. Always check that all the vehicles VIN's match each other and its documentation.

PLATE TRANSFER HISTORY - In a former life, this car was a write-off...

Personalised plates are becoming increasingly popular - 1 in 7 HPI Checks conducted by the public reveal a prior identity. Most are perfectly innocent, but beware - crooks can use a change of plate to try to obscure a vehicle's true past, such as accident damage.

Using information supplied by DVLA and DVLNI, the HPI Check will tell you whether a vehicle has undergone one or more plate changes. If it has, the HPI Check provides you with an online history for each prior plate identified, using nearly 4 million records stretching back over ten years - further than any other source. It even includes investigation support to help you determine the full facts.

SECURITY WATCH -This car should not be offered for sale…

Daily rental firms are just one of many types of organisation in the motor trade that use HPI's Security Watch register to safeguard their high risk assets. The HPI Check will tell you if a car being offered for sale is registered as belonging to one of these organisations. Over 120,000 vehicles are registered on The Security Watch register.

STOLEN VEHICLES - This car is just plain nicked...

Some 500,000 vehicles are recorded as stolen in the UK every year, and with an HPI Check, you can avoid being the 'fall guy who buys one'. HPI's information comes from the Police National Computer, and is used to confirm over 100 vehicles as stolen every day for the trade and public. Buy a stolen vehicle, and in virtually all cases, you stand to lose it and the money you paid for it.