Tools / Vehicle Data / Use Cases / Check a Used Car Before Buying

Check a Used Car Before Buying

Look up MOT history, inspection records, and recall status for a used car before handing over money.

Tool
Vehicle Data icon
Vehicle Data

Buying a used car without checking its history is one of the most common and costly mistakes people make. A car can look perfect and have a clocked odometer, hidden accident damage, outstanding recalls, or a string of advisory failures that the seller hasn't disclosed. The information exists in public records — but knowing which checks to run and how to interpret the results is where most buyers fall short.

Vehicle Data combines MOT history, plate lookup, inspection records, and recall checks in one place. You can see every MOT result, the mileage at each test, any advisories flagged, and whether the vehicle has any outstanding safety recalls — all from the registration plate.

Private car buyers, motor traders, and vehicle inspectors use this to verify a car's condition history, catch mileage discrepancies, and ensure outstanding recalls have been addressed before purchase.

Agent Guides

Claude

  1. Connect ToolRouter in Claude: claude mcp add toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp
  2. Provide the registration plate of the car you are considering.
  3. Ask Claude to look up MOT history, plate data, inspection history, and recall status via `vehicle-data`.
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ChatGPT

  1. Connect ToolRouter in ChatGPT: {"mcpServers":{"toolrouter":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","toolrouter-mcp"]}}}
  2. Provide the registration plate and any information the seller has given you.
  3. Ask ChatGPT to run MOT history, plate lookup, inspection history, and recall checks via `vehicle-data`.
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Copilot

  1. Connect ToolRouter in Copilot: {"mcpServers":{"toolrouter":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","toolrouter-mcp"]}}}
  2. Identify the registration plate and define your application schema for vehicle history data.
  3. Ask Copilot to run `dvsa_mot`, `plate_lookup`, `inspection_history`, and `check_recalls` via `vehicle-data`.
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OpenClaw

  1. Connect ToolRouter in OpenClaw: openclaw mcp add toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp
  2. Prepare the list of registration plates to check.
  3. Run `vehicle-data` with `dvsa_mot`, `plate_lookup`, `inspection_history`, and `check_recalls` for each plate.
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