carVertical vs HPI Check: Which Is Better for a UK Car? (2026)

By James Fletcher, Carhealth motoring editor — last updated 11 July 2026

Introduction

The question comes up on every UK car-buying forum, Reddit thread, and Facebook group. "Should I use carVertical or HPI?" In the time it takes to ask the question, someone will have replied telling you HPI is the industry standard, someone else will swear carVertical is more thorough, and a third person will point out that both are overpriced. Occasionally someone gets banned for posting a referral link.

The honest answer is more nuanced than any of those replies suggest — and it depends almost entirely on whether the car you are buying started its life in the UK or came from abroad.

This guide sets both products out side by side, without a stake in either. It covers what each service actually checks, where each genuinely excels, where each falls short, how the pricing compares (including where Carhealth at £14.99 sits in that picture), and — ultimately — which one you should use for your specific situation.

If you are buying a UK-registered car that has spent its whole life on British roads, the answer is probably different to if you are buying a late-plate German import or a nearly-new car sourced from a European fleet. Read on.

Key Takeaways

• carVertical is stronger on imports and EU-sourced vehicles, thanks to data from 28+ countries and genuine damage-photo records from some international databases
• HPI is the UK market standard for outstanding finance checks and write-off depth, backed by an 88-year heritage and a £30,000 data guarantee
• For a mainstream UK-registered used car, either service covers the critical risks — the difference is price, report format, and depth of secondary data
• carVertical costs approximately £34 for a single report; HPI Full Check is £19.99; Carhealth is £14.99 and adds an AI-powered analysis layer on top of the same core UK data
• Neither service can tell you about mechanical condition — that requires a physical inspection

What Is carVertical?

carVertical is a Lithuanian technology company founded in 2018. Its central pitch — novel at the time and still distinctive today — is that it stores vehicle data on a blockchain, making historical records immutable and independently verifiable. In practice, whether the underlying blockchain architecture matters to the average buyer is debatable; what matters is the breadth of data that carVertical aggregates.

The company has assembled records from more than 700 million vehicles across 28 countries. For UK buyers, the critical implication is this: if the car you are considering was previously registered in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, or any of the other major European automotive markets, carVertical is likely to have meaningful historical data on that vehicle that a UK-only service would simply not be able to retrieve.

carVertical reports are available as single purchases or bundles. A single report at the time of writing costs approximately £34. The company also sells bundles (e.g., three reports for around £60), which reduce the per-report cost meaningfully if you are actively searching and checking multiple vehicles.

What Is an HPI Check?

HPI stands for Hire Purchase Information. The company was founded in 1938 — before the Second World War — specifically to help lenders and consumers identify whether a vehicle had outstanding hire-purchase (finance) agreements against it. The name has become so embedded in British car-buying culture that "HPI check" is used generically in the same way "Hoover" is used for any vacuum cleaner, regardless of who made it.

Today HPI is owned by Solera, a global vehicle data conglomerate. The company operates the UK's most comprehensive live database of vehicles subject to outstanding finance agreements, pulling data directly from the major finance houses. It also holds write-off data from insurers, stolen vehicle markers from the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register (MIAFTR), and DVLA keeper records.

HPI's Full Check — the relevant tier for most buyers — costs £19.99 at the time of writing. There is also a Basic Check at £9.99, which covers finance and stolen status but drops some of the additional data layers. For the purposes of this comparison, Full Check at £19.99 is the appropriate like-for-like.

What Does Each Check Cover?

The table below reflects what each service covers at its standard single-report price point. Data availability can vary by registration and vehicle history.

A note on the guarantee: HPI's £30,000 data guarantee means that if you suffer a financial loss because HPI's data was wrong — for example, you bought a car with outstanding finance that HPI's report said was clear — HPI will compensate you up to £30,000. This is a meaningful consumer protection that carVertical does not match. The conditions and claims process apply, so read the terms, but the guarantee is genuine.

carVertical's Genuine Strengths

International and European Data Coverage

This is where carVertical has a clear, material advantage over any UK-only service. The company sources records from national vehicle registries, insurance databases, fleet operators, service networks, and leasing companies across 28 countries. For a car that was originally registered in Germany and then imported to the UK — which accounts for a significant proportion of the nearly-new and late-plate used car supply — carVertical can often retrieve its full European service history, previous registration details, and even mileage readings logged by EU service centres and rental fleets.

HPI's data, by contrast, is primarily UK-sourced. Once a vehicle crosses a border and receives a UK registration, its pre-UK history is largely invisible to HPI's database unless it was specifically reported to a UK insurer or recorded through a UK source. carVertical has no such geographic constraint.

If you are shopping in the segment where European imports are common — premium saloons, SUVs, and luxury cars in the £15,000 to £40,000 bracket — this distinction is not academic. It can reveal mileage discrepancies, previous write-offs, or ownership patterns that a UK-only check would simply miss. See also our guide to grey imports and EU cars for broader context.

Damage Records and Photos

Some of carVertical's European data sources include insurer-reported damage records with photographs. Where available — and availability varies significantly by country and by the specific vehicle's history — these can show collision damage, flood damage, or other incidents that the current UK owner may not be aware of or may not have disclosed.

This capability has no equivalent in HPI's standard report. UK-sourced Category S and N write-off data is present in HPI, but sub-write-off damage (repairs that were handled without an insurance claim, for instance) is generally invisible to both services. Where carVertical's damage photographs exist, they provide a genuinely useful additional layer of confidence.

Mileage Verification from Multiple Sources

carVertical cross-references odometer readings from MOT records (as all UK services do), but also from EU service records, fleet data, leasing company handover documents, and other sources captured in its international database. For a car with a European history, this can produce a more complete mileage timeline than any UK-only check can provide.

Mileage fraud — known colloquially as clocking — remains a significant problem in the UK used car market. Our guide to clocking and mileage fraud covers the scale of the issue in detail. For high-value imports where temptation is greatest and UK MOT history shortest, carVertical's multi-source mileage data provides meaningful additional protection.

Report Depth and Visual Presentation

carVertical's reports are visually polished and relatively easy to read for a non-expert. The company has invested in the user interface and presents data in a timeline format that makes it straightforward to follow a vehicle's history chronologically. The blockchain angle, while largely irrelevant to the actual buying decision, does mean the underlying data records carry a verifiable timestamp — which adds a modest but real layer of audit confidence.

HPI's Genuine Strengths

UK Finance Data — The Industry Standard

HPI's core heritage is outstanding finance, and on that specific data point it remains the gold standard for UK-registered vehicles. The company has direct feeds from the major UK finance houses, which means its finance data is both highly current and highly comprehensive. When HPI says a vehicle is clear of finance, buyers and lenders trust that finding more than they would trust a competitor making the same claim based on less direct data.

This matters because outstanding finance is consistently the most commonly triggered flag on UK vehicle history reports. Approximately one in four used car checks in the UK uncovers some form of outstanding finance obligation. If the previous owner defaults and the finance company repossesses the car, it is repossessed from whoever currently has it — including you, even if you paid in good faith. The financial consequences can be severe.

For a UK car that has always been financed through UK lenders, HPI's data is as reliable as it gets. This is the part of the check where HPI's 88-year history and its relationships with finance houses genuinely matter.

The £30,000 Data Guarantee

HPI's guarantee is a meaningful commercial commitment. If you lose money because their data was wrong, you can claim up to £30,000 in compensation. No other major UK car history check provider offers a guarantee of this size at this price point.

For high-value purchases — a £25,000 premium saloon, for example — the guarantee provides a layer of financial protection that has real worth. The existence of the guarantee also reflects HPI's confidence in the accuracy of its UK data, particularly the finance and stolen markers that feed into the most serious categories of loss.

88 Years of Heritage and Recognition

This is a less tangible benefit but not an irrelevant one. HPI's brand recognition means that dealers, lenders, and private sellers all understand what an HPI check represents. When a dealer shows you a "clear HPI" printout, you know what it covers. When you buy a car and later want to sell it, a clean HPI history is a selling point that the next buyer will understand without explanation.

carVertical, as a relatively young company founded in 2018, has good brand recognition among younger and more tech-aware buyers but is not yet universally understood in the same way.

Write-Off Category Depth

HPI receives write-off data directly from UK insurers and holds records of Category A, B, S, and N markers that go back decades. The volume and completeness of UK write-off records in HPI's database is unmatched by any other UK service.

Category S (previously Category C) means the vehicle's structure was damaged and it has been or will be repaired. Category N (previously Category D) means the vehicle sustained non-structural damage but was written off for insurance purposes — typically because the repair cost exceeded the vehicle's value. Both categories are legal to sell but must be declared, and both affect insurance premiums, future resale value, and — in the case of Category S cars — potentially structural integrity. An HPI report's write-off data is as comprehensive as you will find anywhere in the UK market.

Report User Experience: How Do They Compare?

Both services have invested in their online reports, and both are broadly accessible to a non-specialist buyer.

carVertical presents its findings on a timeline, which is an intuitive format. The report loads progressively, building a visual history of the vehicle from its earliest known record to the most recent. Colour coding (green for clear, amber for attention, red for concern) makes it easy to scan. The level of detail can feel overwhelming on cars with complex histories, and the EU data sections are only relevant if the car actually has international records — if it does not, those sections simply show as empty. The report is delivered as a web page and can be downloaded as a PDF.

HPI Full Check is delivered as a structured summary with clear pass/fail markers on the headline categories (finance, stolen, write-off, plate change, keeper count, mileage). The format is more conservative than carVertical's — less visual, but highly legible. Many buyers find the HPI layout easier to use because it frontloads the critical findings rather than burying them in a timeline. HPI's report also includes a valuation based on Glass's Guide data, which is useful as a price benchmark.

Carhealth takes a different approach to both: rather than presenting raw data, the report interprets the findings through an AI analysis layer that produces plain-English commentary on what each data point means for you as a buyer. The sample report shows how this works in practice. For buyers who are not automotive professionals, this interpretive layer can be more useful than a list of flags and dates. The underlying data covers the same UK sources as HPI; the difference is in how those findings are presented and explained.

Accuracy Criticisms

No vehicle history service is perfect, and both carVertical and HPI have faced legitimate criticism. Being honest about these limitations is important if you are relying on a report before a significant purchase.

carVertical Criticisms

The most consistent criticism of carVertical in UK buying forums relates to false confidence on EU data. When the service returns a "clear" result on international records, some buyers interpret that as confirmation the car has no European history. In reality, it may simply mean carVertical's sources did not hold data on that specific vehicle — the absence of a record is not the same as confirmation the car is clean. carVertical acknowledges this and its reports do distinguish between "no records found" and "records confirm clear", but the nuance is easy to miss.

There have also been reports of carVertical damage photo data relating to incorrect or different vehicles — an inherent risk when aggregating data from multiple international sources with varying data quality standards. The company has improved its matching algorithms over time, but the risk has not been eliminated entirely.

Some UK buyers have also noted that carVertical's outstanding finance data for UK vehicles is sourced differently from HPI's direct finance-house feeds, and that on this specific point HPI's data has historically been more comprehensive and more current for domestic cars.

HPI Criticisms

HPI's principal limitation is its UK-centric scope. For any car with meaningful European history, HPI's report will simply not capture it. This is not a failure of data quality — it is a structural constraint of the service.

There have also been well-documented cases of HPI reports showing a vehicle as clear of finance when finance was in fact outstanding. These cases are relatively rare given the volume of checks HPI processes, but they do occur — and they are precisely the scenario the £30,000 guarantee exists to address. The guarantee is a response to a real (if small) failure mode, not just a marketing device.

HPI's damage records are limited to UK-reported Category S and N write-offs. Sub-write-off damage — cars that were repaired without an insurance claim, or damaged abroad and repaired before importation — is invisible to HPI's database and to most UK services.

Finally, some buyers have criticised the HPI interface for feeling dated compared to newer entrants. This is a subjective point, but the report design has not changed substantially in several years and younger buyers in particular find carVertical's presentation more intuitive.

Pricing Breakdown

At the time of writing, the approximate pricing for a single report is:

• carVertical: approximately £34 per report (bundles available at reduced per-report cost)
• HPI Full Check: £19.99 per report (Basic Check available at £9.99, but this is materially inferior)
• HPI Basic Check: £9.99 (finance and stolen only — not recommended as a standalone check)
• Carhealth: £14.99 per report — covers the same core UK data categories as HPI Full Check, with the addition of an AI analysis layer

For a buyer checking a single UK car, Carhealth at £14.99 and HPI at £19.99 are both sensible options. The £5 price difference is not significant on a purchase of thousands of pounds. The meaningful choice is between what you get for each price.

For a buyer checking an imported or EU-history car, carVertical at approximately £34 is worth the premium specifically because of the international data coverage — provided you understand that "no EU records found" is not the same as "EU history confirmed clear."

If you are actively searching and expect to check five or more vehicles before buying, carVertical's bundles bring the per-report cost down to around £20, which changes the arithmetic considerably.

For a comparison of all major UK vehicle history check providers, see our full comparison page.

Which Should You Choose?

The honest answer depends on the vehicle you are buying and your priorities as a buyer.

Choose carVertical if you are buying:

• A car that was originally registered in Germany, Poland, France, the Netherlands, or another EU country and then imported to the UK
• A nearly-new or late-plate premium or luxury vehicle where European fleet and leasing history is common
• A car with a short UK MOT history that cannot tell you much about its pre-UK life
• A vehicle where you have specific concerns about damage or collision history
• Multiple cars (bundles reduce the per-report cost significantly)

carVertical's international data coverage, damage photo capability, and multi-source mileage verification give it a genuine advantage in these scenarios. See also our HPI check alternative guide for a broader discussion of when alternatives to traditional UK checks add value.

Choose HPI if you are buying:

• A UK-registered car that has always been in the UK, financed through a UK lender, and has a full UK MOT history
• A car from a dealer who already shows you an HPI printout (cross-referencing against a personal run adds confidence and is inexpensive)
• Any high-value vehicle where the £30,000 data guarantee provides meaningful financial protection
• You want the most recognised and widely-understood check result for future resale purposes

HPI's finance data depth, write-off record completeness, the data guarantee, and brand recognition make it the appropriate choice for straightforward UK-history vehicles.

Choose Carhealth if you are buying:

• Any UK-registered car where you want core protection at the lowest cost (£14.99 versus £19.99 for HPI Full Check)
• A first-time buyer or less experienced car buyer who wants the findings explained in plain English, not just presented as data
• A buyer who wants to understand not just what the flags are, but what they mean for negotiation, insurance, and ownership

Carhealth covers outstanding finance, write-off (Cat A/B/S/N), stolen markers, MOT history, mileage anomalies, plate changes, and keeper history — the same core categories as HPI Full Check — and presents them through an AI analysis that explains the implications in straightforward language. The free check allows you to see what basic data is available on a vehicle before you commit to a full report.

For a full breakdown of what a comprehensive vehicle history check reveals, see our guide to what a car history check shows.

Practical Buying Advice

Whichever service you use, a vehicle history report is one tool in a broader due diligence process — not the only one. Here is how to use it effectively:

Run the check before you arrange a viewing. There is no point travelling 50 miles to inspect a car that has outstanding finance or a write-off marker. A check before the viewing saves time and protects you from seller pressure to buy on the day.

Check the registration matches the V5C. When you view the car, verify that the registration plate, the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) stamped on the bulkhead and windscreen, and the details in the V5C logbook all match the report you received. Plate cloning and document fraud exist; a report is only as good as your verification of the vehicle it relates to.

Use MOT history alongside any paid check. The government's free MOT history service (available via the DVSA website) is a useful complement to any paid report. It shows advisory items, failure reasons, and mileage recorded at each test — all of which provide a free mileage timeline for any UK-tested vehicle.

Treat "no EU records found" with nuance. If carVertical returns no international records for a car you believe has EU history, that is not confirmation the car is clean — it may simply reflect gaps in carVertical's source data for that specific market or vehicle. Follow up by asking the seller for original documentation from the country of first registration.

Do not skip a physical inspection. No vehicle history check, regardless of provider, can tell you about mechanical wear, oil leaks, tyre condition, brake wear, suspension degradation, or bodywork that was repaired without an insurance claim. A physical inspection — ideally by a qualified mechanic — remains essential for any significant used car purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is carVertical better than HPI?

Neither service is universally better — they have different strengths suited to different situations. carVertical is better for imported or EU-history vehicles because of its international data coverage, damage records from European sources, and multi-country mileage verification. HPI is better for UK-registered cars with full UK ownership histories, thanks to its superior finance data sourced directly from UK lenders, more comprehensive UK write-off records, and the £30,000 data guarantee. For the majority of mainstream UK used cars, HPI's core data is more directly relevant; for imports and EU-sourced vehicles, carVertical's international reach gives it a material advantage.

Is carVertical worth it in the UK?

For a UK car with its entire history in the UK, carVertical at approximately £34 is more expensive than alternatives that cover the same core UK data. The premium is most justified when the car you are buying has, or may have, a significant history outside the UK — EU registrations, international fleet or leasing history, or pre-import damage that a UK check would not capture. If you are buying a Ford Fiesta with seven UK keepers and a full UK MOT history, carVertical's international capabilities add little to what a cheaper UK-focused check provides. If you are buying a three-year-old BMW with a single UK keeper and a suspiciously short history, carVertical's EU data could be the difference between a good purchase and a very expensive mistake.

Does HPI show salvage and damage records?

HPI shows UK insurance write-off records for Category A, B, S, and N (previously A, B, C, and D before the 2017 ABI categorisation change). Category S means the vehicle sustained structural damage and was written off; Category N means non-structural damage led to a write-off. HPI does not show damage that was repaired without an insurance claim, damage that occurred abroad before UK importation, or sub-write-off repair work. For damage photographs and international damage records, carVertical's data (where available) goes further than HPI's standard report.

How much does an HPI check cost?

At the time of writing (July 2026), HPI's Full Check costs £19.99. A Basic Check — covering only finance and stolen markers — is available at £9.99, but this omits write-off data, mileage checks, and several other important categories, making it unsuitable as a standalone check for most buyers. HPI periodically offers promotional pricing; the company's own website is the best source for current pricing. For context, Carhealth's full check (covering the same core UK data categories as the HPI Full Check) is £14.99, and carVertical's standard single report is approximately £34.

Which car check shows outstanding finance and write-off?

All reputable paid vehicle history checks cover both outstanding finance and write-off status — this includes HPI Full Check, carVertical, and Carhealth. The differences lie in data depth and sourcing. HPI's outstanding finance data is sourced directly from UK finance houses and is considered the most comprehensive and current for UK-financed vehicles. carVertical's finance data for UK cars draws on similar sources but has historically been regarded as slightly less directly integrated than HPI's. For write-off data, HPI's UK records are extensive; carVertical adds international write-off data for cars with EU history. Free checks — including the government's DVLA and DVSA services — do not cover either outstanding finance or write-off status.

Can I trust carVertical data for a UK car?

For the UK-specific data categories (MOT history, keeper count, plate changes, UK finance, UK write-off, stolen markers), carVertical draws on the same primary sources as other UK providers and its data is broadly reliable. Where carVertical has faced more criticism is the interpretation of international data — specifically, the risk that "no EU records found" is read as "confirmed clean EU history" when it may simply reflect a gap in carVertical's source coverage. For a straightforward UK car, the international features that differentiate carVertical are largely irrelevant, and at approximately £34 versus £19.99 for HPI or £14.99 for Carhealth, you are paying a premium for capabilities you may not need.

Is Carhealth the same as an HPI check?

Carhealth and HPI are separate services that cover the same core UK data categories — outstanding finance, write-off (Cat A/B/S/N), stolen markers, MOT history, mileage anomalies, plate changes, and keeper history. The substantive difference is presentation and price: Carhealth costs £14.99 (versus HPI Full Check at £19.99) and adds an AI-powered analysis layer that explains what each finding means in plain English rather than simply presenting raw data flags. Carhealth does not replicate HPI's £30,000 data guarantee, and does not offer carVertical's international EU data coverage. For a UK-registered car where you want clear, interpreted findings at the lowest price, Carhealth is a strong option. See our car history check page for full details.

What is the cheapest reliable car history check in the UK?

At £14.99, Carhealth is currently among the most competitively priced full checks covering all the core data categories that matter — finance, write-off, stolen, MOT history, mileage, and keeper records. HPI Full Check is £19.99 and carVertical is approximately £34. The free government services (DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service and DVSA MOT history) are genuinely useful for basic information but cover none of the critical financial risk categories. Our full provider comparison sets out all the major options in detail. The cheapest check that genuinely protects you is not the same as the cheapest check available — spending £14.99 on a full history report remains one of the highest-return due diligence steps available to any used car buyer.

Prices quoted in this article are correct as of July 2026 and are subject to change. Always check providers' own websites for current pricing and terms. Vehicle history checks provide information based on available records and do not guarantee the mechanical condition or roadworthiness of any vehicle.