Trade service history checks

Check service history before you buy, appraise, or retail

Franchised dealer service records for 34 manufacturers, delivered in seconds. Know what you are buying at auction, price part-exchanges accurately, and show retail buyers verified maintenance data. The same digital records that main dealers see on their own systems.

Check a vehicle now
34
Manufacturers covered
£6.99
Per check
100%
Refund if no records
<60s
Results delivered

Why dealers need service history data

Service history is the single biggest pricing factor after age and mileage. A car with full franchised dealer history is worth more, sells faster, and creates fewer comebacks. A car without it needs to be bought cheaper to protect your margin. The problem is that most dealers do not check until after they have already committed the money.

Physical service books are unreliable. Stamps can be forged, pages go missing, and sellers routinely claim "full service history" when the reality is three stamps from an independent in six years. Digital manufacturer records cannot be forged. They are held centrally by the manufacturer and updated each time a franchised dealer logs a service visit.

Checking before you commit changes the economics of every deal. At auction, you bid with evidence instead of assumptions. On part-exchange, you appraise with data that justifies your offer to the customer. On your forecourt, you sell with proof that builds buyer confidence and justifies your asking price.

How service history data changes a deal

Here is a real-world example. Two identical cars at auction. Same year, same mileage, same spec. One has verifiable full dealer history. The other does not.

2020 BMW 320d M Sport · 42,000 miles · Auto
Without service data
Hammer price£18,500
Assumed reconditioning£800
Risk buffer (unknown history)£500
Retail asking price£21,500
Gross margin£1,700
With verified service history
Hammer price£18,500
Service history check£6.99
Risk buffer£0
Retail asking price (FSH premium)£22,500
Gross margin£3,993
£2,293 more margin per car The service history check paid for itself 327 times over on this one deal

The numbers are illustrative, but the pattern is consistent across the trade. Full service history commands a retail premium because buyers will pay more for a car they can verify. Without history data, you either eat the risk or lower your retail price. Either way, your margin shrinks.

How dealers use service history checks

Auction buying

Check service history before the hammer drops. Know whether you are bidding on a car with full main-dealer history or one with years of missing records. Set your maximum bid based on evidence, not guesswork. Even running the check from your phone in the auction hall takes under a minute.

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Part-exchange appraisals

When a customer brings a car in for valuation, their word is not enough. Pull the digital dealer records and show them the data. If history is missing, your lower offer is backed by evidence. If history is strong, you can offer more confidently knowing the car will retail well.

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Retail stock preparation

Attach verified service records to your online listings. Buyers increasingly expect to see maintenance proof before they visit. A car listed with "verified full dealer service history" attracts more enquiries, fewer time-wasters, and faster sales than one listed with "service history available".

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Mileage verification

Every dealer service visit logs the odometer reading. Cross-referenced with MOT mileage data, inconsistencies surface immediately. Catch clocked cars before they become your problem. On a clocked car, the cost of missing it is not £6.99. It is a warranty claim, a trading standards complaint, and your reputation.

How service history affects what you can retail for

Every dealer already knows this from experience: a car with full main-dealer service history retails for more than the same car without it. The gap is most obvious on premium marques like BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and Jaguar, where buyers expect franchised dealer maintenance and will pay accordingly. On mainstream brands the difference is smaller but still meaningful, especially on newer cars where buyers have more choice.

The value impact works both ways. If you confirm strong history before buying, you can retail with confidence and justify a higher asking price. If the check reveals gaps or missing records, you know to bid lower or walk away entirely. Either way, the £6.99 check gives you information that directly affects your margin on the deal. The cost is negligible compared to the pricing decisions it informs.

What the report shows you

Every report includes the complete digital service record held by the manufacturer. Here is what a typical result looks like for a trade buyer assessing a car at auction.

KV21 XYZ 2021 Audi A4 35 TFSI S Line · 31,400 miles
Dealer visits
4
Over 3 years
Schedule compliance
100%
All on time
Mileage check
Clear
Matches MOT data
Service timeline
8 Apr 202431,400 miAudi LeicesterOil change, inspection, brake fluid
14 Mar 202321,200 miAudi NottinghamFull service, pollen filter, wiper blades
22 Feb 202211,050 miAudi LeicesterFirst service, oil and filter
+ 1 more service visit in full report

What is included in each check

Every report is built from manufacturer-held digital service records. The same data franchised dealers see on their own systems. This is not guesswork or aggregated data. These are the actual records.

Service dates -- every franchised dealer visit with the exact date recorded in the manufacturer's system
Mileage at each service -- odometer reading logged by the servicing dealer at every visit
Work performed -- oil change, inspection, brake fluid, filters, timing belt, spark plugs and other recorded items
Servicing dealer name -- which franchised dealership carried out each service
Mileage chart -- visual timeline cross-referenced with MOT odometer readings to flag inconsistencies
Schedule compliance -- whether services were done on time according to manufacturer intervals
Service gap detection -- periods where no dealer visit was recorded, flagged with the gap duration
MOT cross-reference -- service mileage plotted against DVSA MOT readings for independent verification

How it works

The same manufacturer-held digital service records that franchised dealers access internally. We query the manufacturer's own database and return the results in seconds.

1

Enter the registration

Type any UK reg into the search on our service history check page. We confirm the vehicle details instantly, free of charge.

2

We query the manufacturer

We search the manufacturer's digital service record database. This covers all franchised dealer visits where the work was logged electronically.

3

Report delivered instantly

Full service timeline, mileage at each visit, work performed, servicing dealer name. Cross-referenced with MOT mileage data.

£6.99 per check

Covers manufacturer main-dealer records from 2012 onwards. Independent garage servicing is not held in manufacturer systems. If no records are found, you are not charged.

Digital dealer records vs stamped service books

Many trade buyers still rely on the physical service book that comes with the car. Here is why digital manufacturer records are more reliable.

Feature Digital dealer records Stamped service book
Can be forged No Yes
Can be lost No Yes
Includes mileage at each visit Yes Sometimes
Shows work performed Yes (where logged) Rarely
Identifies servicing dealer Yes Stamp only
MOT mileage cross-reference Yes (automatic) No
Available without the car present Yes (by reg) No
Covers independent garages No Yes

Digital records and physical books are complementary. The digital check tells you what the manufacturer's dealer network recorded. The service book covers independent garages. For trade buyers, the digital check is the more valuable of the two because it cannot be fabricated and it is available before you have the car in front of you.

Bulk checks & API access

We are building trade accounts with volume pricing and API access for dealer management systems. If you run a dealership, auction house, or fleet operation and want to integrate service history checks into your workflow, register below.

Coming soon for trade users

Dedicated trade accounts with tiered volume pricing. RESTful API for DMS integration. Batch processing for auction purchases. Priority support for trade account holders.

Volume pricing tiered by monthly check count
RESTful API with structured JSON responses
Batch upload for auction purchase lists
DMS integration (CDK, Dealerweb, AutoTrail)
Dedicated account manager
Monthly invoicing, no per-check payments
We will contact you when trade accounts are available. No spam. No obligation.

Manufacturers covered

We query manufacturer databases directly. These are the same digital service records that franchised dealers access on their own systems. Select a make for manufacturer-specific guidance.

Premium & Performance
Mainstream
Specialist & Japanese

Trade service history FAQ

Not yet as an automated bulk process, but we are building trade accounts with volume pricing and API access for dealer management systems. In the meantime, dealers can run individual checks at £6.99 each via our service history check page. Register your interest to be first in line for trade accounts.

We cover 34 manufacturers: Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Citroën, Cupra, Dacia, DS, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, SEAT, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Volvo. Records come directly from manufacturer databases. The same digital service records that franchised dealers use internally.

Each service history check costs £6.99. If no manufacturer records are found for a vehicle, you are automatically refunded in full. No risk. We are developing volume pricing for trade accounts. Register your interest to be notified when trade pricing is available.

Full franchised dealer service history adds meaningful value to a car's trade price, particularly on premium and performance models where buyers expect main-dealer maintenance. Missing or incomplete records justify a lower bid at auction or a reduced part-exchange offer. Knowing the service status before you buy lets you price accurately rather than building in a risk buffer that eats your margin.

We are building a RESTful API specifically for integration with dealer management systems. The API will let you programmatically request service history reports by registration number and receive structured data back. Register your interest and we will contact you when API access is available.

Volume pricing for trade accounts is in development. Pricing will be tiered based on monthly check volume. Register your interest with your estimated monthly volume and we will include you in early access when trade pricing launches.

Independent garage servicing is not recorded in manufacturer databases. Our checks cover franchised dealer visits only. If a vehicle has been serviced exclusively at independents, no records will be found and you will not be charged. For trade buyers, this distinction is valuable in itself. It tells you whether the car has verifiable main-dealer history or not, which directly affects what you should pay and what you can retail it for.

Digital service record coverage typically begins from 2012 onwards, depending on the manufacturer. Some brands adopted digital records earlier than others. For older vehicles, records may be limited or unavailable. You are not charged if no records are found.

Yes. All you need is the registration number, which auction houses publish in their catalogues before the sale. Run the check from your phone or laptop before the lot comes up. You will know whether it has full dealer history, partial history, or none at all before you raise your hand.

Check service history before your next purchase

Run a check now at £6.99, or register for trade account access with volume pricing and API integration.

Check a vehicle now or register for trade access

£6.99 · Full refund if no records found