Last updated 4 November 2026
Four results, and only four
Every check on a KerbProof record has one of these results:
- Matched — what was filmed or said agrees with the MOT record.
- Worth checking — not necessarily wrong, but something to ask about.
- Didn’t match — what was filmed or said disagrees with the record.
- Not checked — we couldn’t check it, and we say why.
The free vehicle report
Built from the DVSA MOT History API. Results are kept for 24 hours, then fetched again. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Mileage going down (red): any MOT reading lower than an earlier one.
- MOT run out (red): the latest certificate has expired.
- Long gap (amber): more than 13 months between two tests.
- Repeated advisory (amber): the same advisory text at two or more tests.
- Latest test failed (amber, or red if a defect was dangerous).
We never look up or show who owns a vehicle. That information isn’t available to us, and we wouldn’t use it.
The live check
Number plate and one-off code
The seller writes a 4-digit code, made for that session only, and films it next to the plate. The plate is read automatically and compared with the registration. If it can’t be read, a person on our team checks the photo; until then it shows as “Not checked”.
Make, model and colour
The seller confirms them against the MOT record on screen. If they say it doesn’t match, that is shown as “Didn’t match” with their explanation.
Mileage
The seller photographs the odometer and types the reading. It must be at least the last MOT reading. If it implies fewer than 1,000 or more than 30,000 miles a year since that MOT, it’s marked “Worth checking”. We only judge the yearly rate when the MOT was at least two months earlier, because over a few weeks the numbers mean nothing.
Freshness
- The whole check must be finished within 30 minutes of starting.
- Live camera only — there is no way to upload from the photo gallery.
- Each photo and video is stamped with our server’s time when it arrives, and its SHA-256 fingerprint is recorded.
- A KerbProof record lasts 14 or 30 days, and ends at once if the seller changes the mileage or withdraws it.
Over weak signal, photos taken in time may finish uploading shortly after the window. The evidence log on every KerbProof record shows exactly when each one arrived.
Privacy by design
- A record can be found by its registration or KerbProof ID only while it’s live. Once sold, withdrawn or expired, the registration finds nothing.
- We never show a private seller’s name or contact details, only a general area. Buyers message them through us.
- If two different sellers publish records for the same registration, both are flagged to buyers and to our team.
- Number plates are blurred in photos. The registration is shown only if the seller chooses.
- The walk-round video can show the plate, so the seller decides whether it is shown. The cold start shows only the dashboard.
- We never ask for the logbook (V5C). Sellers are told to cover names on service records and certificates.
What we can’t check
This isn’t a mechanical inspection. We can’t show hidden faults, outstanding finance, write-offs, theft or legal ownership. Get a history check and view the vehicle before paying.
Sample data (while the DVSA connection is off)
Until our live MOT connection is switched on, every report uses clearly labelled sample data. These sample registrations show particular situations:
- KP19MOT — A clean history with no flags
- KP15DRP — A mileage reading lower than an earlier one
- KP12EXP — An MOT that has run out
- KP14GAP — A gap of more than 13 months between tests
- KP16ADV — The same advisory at several tests
- KP24NEW — Too new to have been tested yet
- KP18VAN — A van
- KP17BKE — A motorbike
- KP13FAI — A recent failure with dangerous defects
- XX99XXX — A registration that is not found