Free EV Check · Free
Free EV Check by Registration
Thinking of buying a used electric car? Enter the reg to confirm it's electric, check its ULEZ exemption, EV road tax and full MOT and mileage history — free, from live DVLA and DVSA data.
- Confirm it's a full EV, hybrid or hydrogen — straight from DVLA
- Zero-emission, ULEZ and Clean Air Zone status
- EV road tax (VED) under the April 2025 rules
- Full MOT history and DVLA-recorded mileage
- Live DVLA & DVSA data, no signup, no payment
The free check confirms the vehicle's DVLA status. Battery state of health, real-world range now and remaining battery warranty come from the paid Used EV Check.
Free EV Check for your vehicle
- Instant results
- No signup
- DVLA & DVSA data
Buying the EV, not just checking its status?
The free check confirms what it is. The Used EV Check (£9.99) reveals battery state of health, real-world range now vs when new, remaining battery warranty, running cost and charging speed.
Why it matters
Why battery health matters more than mileage
Unlike petrol cars, an EV's biggest hidden cost is battery degradation. A well-maintained 80,000-mile EV can have a healthier battery than a poorly-charged 30,000-mile one. Our report gives you the data sellers won't volunteer.
2×
faster battery wear from heavy rapid charging
£8k+
typical battery replacement cost
0
battery-health checks a seller must show you
Instant
report in seconds
What's included in our checks
What your EV car history check includes
Battery health grade
Where a manufacturer battery test record exists, we show its health grade — like A+ — alongside an estimated range-retention figure, so you can see whether degradation is normal for the car’s age and model. Battery insight no standard history check gives you.
Find out moreReal-world range vs WLTP
Compare the car’s estimated real-world range today against its original WLTP figure, so you understand the true, everyday range before you buy — not after.
Find out moreRemaining battery warranty
See how many miles and months of the manufacturer’s battery warranty are left, and whether it’s still active — the safety net that covers the most expensive part of any EV.
Find out moreBattery capacity & spec
Usable and total battery capacity in kWh, plus the WLTP range it was rated for when new — the numbers that show what this EV was built to do.
Find out moreMOT history & mileage
Full DVSA MOT history with timestamped mileage at every test, so you can verify the car’s real usage and spot any odometer discrepancies.
Find out moreVehicle details
Confirmed make, model, variant, year and fuel type, drawn straight from official records so you know exactly which car you’re looking at.
Find out moreOutstanding finance & HPI
Check for active PCP or HP agreements — if unsettled, the finance company still legally owns the car. Our full EV HPI check adds Experian finance data.
Find out moreStolen & write-off history
Police National Computer stolen markers and full insurance write-off categories (Cat A, B, S, N) — the same data behind every UK HPI check.
Find out moreWhat the free EV check tells you
The free EV check pulls live data from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry service and the DVSA MOT history API — the same official records a dealer uses. For an electric car that means an authoritative answer to the questions that come up first: is it genuinely a full battery electric vehicle (rather than a hybrid), is it exempt from ULEZ and other Clean Air Zones, where does it now sit for road tax, and what does its MOT and mileage history look like.
It confirms the fuel type, CO2 figure (zero at the tailpipe for a pure EV), first registration date, Euro status and the current tax and MOT position. It also charts the DVLA-recorded mileage from every MOT so you can see how the car has been used. For the identity, tax, MOT and mileage picture on any vehicle, our free car check covers the same ground.
What it can't tell you — because no free government record holds it — is the one thing that actually decides a used EV's value: the health of its battery.
Battery health and real-world range: why they aren't on a free check
With a petrol car, mileage and service history tell most of the story. With an electric car they don't. Two identical models on the same mileage can be worth very different amounts depending on how their batteries have been charged and used. A car kept on rapid chargers and stored at 100% degrades faster than one home-charged to 80% — and none of that shows up on the V5C, the MOT or the advert.
That data isn't published by DVLA or DVSA, and sellers are under no obligation to disclose it. It has to be modelled from real-world fleet data. The Used EV Check (£9.99) returns the expected real-world range now versus when new (so you can see how much it has degraded), a battery state-of-health grade, remaining battery warranty in miles and months, running cost per mile on home and public charging, and full charging spec. Range data is powered by ClearWatt.
Is a used EV ULEZ and Clean Air Zone exempt?
Yes. A fully electric car produces no tailpipe emissions, so it meets the London ULEZ standard and the equivalent standards in Birmingham, Bristol, the Scottish Low Emission Zones and other UK Clean Air Zones automatically, regardless of its age. That means no £12.50 daily ULEZ charge and no daily CAZ charge, which for a city driver can be worth well over £3,000 a year.
The free EV check confirms the zero-emission status from the DVLA fuel record, so you can be certain before you buy. Note that plug-in and self-charging hybrids are not automatically exempt — they are judged on their Euro standard like any combustion car.
Do electric cars pay road tax? EV VED from April 2025
They do now. From 1 April 2025 the long-standing VED exemption for electric cars ended. Electric cars first registered on or after that date pay a nominal first-year rate and then the standard annual rate from year two. EVs registered between April 2017 and March 2025 move to the standard annual rate, and older EVs move into a low band. The Expensive Car Supplement, which adds a yearly surcharge for cars with a list price over £40,000, now also applies to new EVs.
It's still far cheaper to run than a petrol equivalent, but it is no longer free — so factor it in. Our car tax calculator works out the exact figure for any reg.
WLTP range vs the range you'll actually get
The headline range on an EV advert is almost always the WLTP figure — a lab-measured number for the car when new. Real-world range is typically lower, and the gap widens in cold weather, at motorway speeds and as the battery ages. A five-year-old EV advertised at its original WLTP range may deliver noticeably less on a winter motorway run.
That's why the expected range now matters more than the brochure figure. The Used EV Check models it from real-world data for the specific car, alongside efficiency in miles per kWh, so you know what it will genuinely do on your commute before you commit.
Free EV check FAQ
Can I check an EV's battery health for free?+
How do I check an electric car by registration?+
Is a used electric car ULEZ exempt?+
Do electric cars pay road tax now?+
What's the difference between the free EV check and the Used EV Check?+
Does the free EV check work on hybrids?+
Does EV All Day store my registration number?+
The road ahead
The switch to electric is accelerating
Nearly one in four new cars sold in the UK last year was fully electric, and registrations are still climbing. As more EVs reach the used market, buying with confidence means knowing each battery's real condition — not just its mileage.
+24%
growth in UK electric car registrations last year
1 in 4
new cars bought in the UK are now electric
17M
electric vehicles sold worldwide in a single year
2030
when new petrol & diesel car sales end in the UK
Ready to check an EV?
Enter a UK registration to confirm it's electric and see its ULEZ status, road tax, MOT and mileage. Free, no signup, no payment.
Check an EV