Looking up a registration from the search box

This page is for signed-in users who want to check the MOT history of any UK vehicle by its registration, whether or not it has been tested at their station.

How do I look up a vehicle by registration?

1. Click the search box in the top bar. It reads "Search or enter a reg". Press Ctrl K (Cmd K on a Mac) to jump to it from anywhere. On a phone, tap Search in the bottom bar.
2. Type the registration, for example AB12 CDE. Spaces and lower case are fine.
3. A row appears under the group MOT history showing the plate and the hint "open MOT history".
4. Press Enter, or click the row.

A window titled "MOT History for" followed by the plate opens with the vehicle details and its MOT tests. You can look up any vehicle, not only ones your stations have tested.

Which registration formats are recognised?

The search box treats your text as a registration when it is 2 to 8 characters long (ignoring one space) and matches a UK plate shape: current (AB12 CDE), prefix (A123 BCD), suffix (ABC 123D), or an older or personalised plate such as A1, ABC 1234 or 1234 AB.

If the text does not look like a plate, for example a name, no MOT history row is offered and the box simply filters pages and actions. If nothing matches it shows "No matches."

What are the other rows that appear?

If your text is a plate, a group called Our tests may appear above the MOT history row. These are shortcuts to tests for that plate in the test list you already have loaded. They only appear for tests the current page has loaded.

With the box empty, the palette lists your Recent plates (up to five, most recent first) followed by pages to jump to, actions and your saved views. Recent plates are remembered in your browser only, so they do not follow you to another device and disappear if you clear site data.

What does the MOT History window show?

It has two tabs. Details shows Registration, Make, Model, First Used Date, Fuel Type, Primary Colour, Engine Size, Registration Date and Manufacture Date. History lists each MOT test; see Reading a vehicle's MOT history. The data is fetched live from the DVSA each time you open it.

What happens if the registration is not found?

The window still opens, with a warning at the top: "No DVSA record found for" followed by the registration you searched, and advice to check it and try again. The Details fields are blank and the History tab says "No MOT history for this vehicle." This happens for a mistyped plate, a vehicle under three years old, or when the DVSA service cannot be reached; the warning is the same in each case. See Why a registration lookup shows nothing.

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