Compare cars by registration
Enter two or three registrations and see the cars side by side: MOT record, mileage, tax, recalls and road tax. Free, using DVLA and DVSA records.
Which of these cars looks better?
The table marks the car that looks better on each row where that is clear cut: newer, fewer MOT fails, fewer miles a year, lower road tax, no recall. It does not pick an overall winner, because finance, write-offs and stolen status are not in free data. A full report covers them.
What this free comparison can't tell you
These are not in free records, so no free comparison can show them:
- Outstanding finance owed on the car.
- Insurance write-off history, such as Cat S or Cat N.
- Whether the car is recorded as stolen.
- What the car is worth.
Each column has a link to that car's full report, from £9.99. Checking both? See pricing for the report bundles, which cover more than one car at a lower price per report.
How the comparison works
We look up each registration in DVLA and DVSA records, the same free data behind our free car check, and line the results up. Mileage comes from MOT tests only, and we apply the same rule as our full report to flag an odometer drop. Road tax is the standard 2026/27 rate; the road tax calculator explains the supplement. To compare models rather than cars you have found, use compare cars for running costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about compare cars by registration on Carhealth
For each registration: make and model, first registration, fuel and engine, colour, tax and MOT status, the MOT pass and fail record, latest MOT mileage and average miles a year, a mileage check, any outstanding recall, the standard road tax rate, the model's first-time MOT pass rate for its age, and the make's recalls since 2017.
We use the odometer readings from MOT tests. It is flagged red only if a reading falls below an earlier one and later tests never get back to that level, which is what clocking leaves behind. A single low reading that later tests climb back above is amber. With fewer than two readings there is nothing to compare, so we say so. It is the same rule our full report uses.
The expensive car supplement depends on the car's list price when new, and DVLA records do not hold it. For cars registered from April 2017 that could be affected, we show the standard rate and the amount with the supplement.
They are DVSA's 2024 first-time MOT results for the car's make and model in its age band, compared with all cars in the same band. We only show a model figure when the make and model match exactly. Otherwise we show the make's figure, or nothing. It describes a model in general, not the car you are looking at.
Whether a car has outstanding finance, has been written off, is recorded stolen, or what it is worth. Those come from sources that are not free, so they are only in the full report.
Yes. Use Copy link to this comparison and send it. Anyone who opens it sees the same cars compared using the latest records. The registrations are in the link, so only share it with people you are happy to see them.
Sources
- DVLA Vehicle Enquiry ServiceMake, colour, fuel, engine size, first registration, CO2, tax status and MOT status. Live for each registration you enter.
- DVSA MOT historyMOT tests, results, advisories and odometer readings, plus the outstanding recall flag. Live for each registration you enter.
- DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2024First-time MOT pass rates by make, model and age. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- DVSA vehicle recalls dataRecalls per make since 2017. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- GOV.UK: Vehicle tax rate tablesThe 2026/27 standard road tax rate and the expensive car supplement.
Found the one? Check it properly
A Carhealth report adds what free data can't: outstanding finance, write-offs, stolen status, valuation and the full mileage record. Results in about 60 seconds.
Check a car from £9.99