What is an HPI check?
You may have heard of an HPI check, or been advised to get one for your used car – but what exactly is an HPI check, why is it important and how does it work?
HPI checks explained
An HPI check is a vehicle history check. This check is a useful service that allows you to access important background information about a used car before you commit to buying. Vehicle checks protect used car buyers by providing a clear account of a car’s history.
There’s lots of vehicle history checks of varying degrees of thoroughness available from many motoring firms, but a full HPI check is considered the gold standard. In fact, so well-known and well-respected is the HPI trademark that sometimes the term HPI check is used to refer to the wide range of vehicle reports available.
What does an HPI check show?
The HPI check covers the actual identity of the car, including the make, model, number of doors, current and previous colours and how many owners there have been. This is helpful when comparing the identity with the description provided by the seller.
The HPI check will identify if the car has any outstanding finance on it. Remember, if there’s finance owing, it'll need to be paid before you buy, otherwise you'll be liable for it. The finance company could even repossess the vehicle.You'll also need to know if the car has been stolen at any point in its history.
Car thieves will often refurbish stolen vehicles and sell them on. An HPI check will tell you if the car is currently registered as stolen. If you buy a car that appears on the police national database, even without knowing, the car will be seized, and you're unlikely to get back any of the money you paid for it.
What does an HPI check include?
What’s not included in an HPI check?
An HPI check won’t tell you if the car has ever been stolen and since recovered – only if it’s currently registered as stolen. An HPI check also won’t tell you if the car has been damaged in an accident if it wasn’t reported to the insurance company; it will only reveal whether the vehicle has ever been written off. So it’s worth asking the seller if it’s ever been involved in an accident.
What if the car has been written-off by insurers in the past?
If the car you're looking at has been badly damaged at some point, then the insurers may have deemed it unroadworthy and written it off. If it has been written off, you'll need to see evidence that it was repaired by a reputable mechanic and made road safe.
The HPI check will cross reference with the DVLA database to confirm if the number plate and vehicle identification number (VIN) matches. If they don’t, there could be problems with the car. A standard HPI check includes:
A logbook and MOT check
Insurance write-off checks
Checks for any outstanding finance
Recorded as stolen checks
VIN/chassis check
Recorded as scrapped checks
Vehicle specifications
Estimated fuel costs
Import/export checks
A guide valuation
