Understanding the history report

A GarageHQ report turns eight independent data sources into a one-glance verdict per signal. This article explains what each signal means, what to do when you see green, amber, or red, and the short form of how the data is sourced.

The traffic-light pattern

Every signal on the report is coloured green, amber, or red:

Green: the data source returned no concern.
Amber: something worth investigating before you part with money, but not necessarily disqualifying.
Red: a serious red flag. Assume you shouldn't buy unless there's a documented explanation.

Null values (not checked or not available) render as a neutral zinc colour, not green.

A history report with every signal returning green — A clean report: every signal returned no concern.

Stolen register

Cross-checked against the UK police stolen-vehicle database.

Green: the reg is not currently flagged as stolen.
Red: the vehicle is on the stolen register. Walk away. If you buy it, police will recover it and you lose both the car and the money.

The check is point-in-time: a car that's reported stolen after you buy it doesn't show on a report run today.

Insurance write-off

Covers the four UK write-off categories:

Cat A: scrap only, must be crushed. Illegal to return to the road.
Cat B: body shell destroyed, parts can be sold for reuse but the vehicle can't go back on the road.
Cat S: structural damage, repairable. Can go back on the road after a structural inspection.
Cat N: non-structural damage (cosmetic, electrical, trim). Can go back on the road without re-inspection.

The report colouring:

Green: no insurance write-off record.
Amber: Cat S or N. Not automatically a bad buy if it's been properly repaired, but should be reflected in the price.
Red: Cat A or B. The vehicle shouldn't be on the road.

Outstanding finance

Live check against lender records. Vehicles under an active hire-purchase or PCP agreement belong to the finance company until the loan is cleared. If you buy one with finance still owing, the lender can legally repossess it from you with no easy route to recover the money from the seller.

Green: no active finance agreement found.
Red: active finance agreement. Get written confirmation from the seller's lender that the finance has been settled before you transfer a penny.

Mileage anomalies

We pull every MOT mileage reading DVSA has on record and flag common clocking patterns:

Gap: suspiciously large interval between recorded readings.
Low delta: unusually few miles between MOTs, which can hide a previous high-mileage period.
Zero delta: identical reading at two consecutive MOTs.
Decrease: the odometer reading went down between tests. Clearest clocking signal there is.

Colouring:

Green: no anomaly detected.
Amber: gap or low-delta. Ask the seller to explain.
Red: zero-delta or decrease. Assume it's been clocked unless proven otherwise.

The report shows every reading as a point on a timeline so you can eyeball the shape yourself.

MOT history

The full DVSA MOT test record. Each test appears as a pass or fail, with the mileage reading at the time. Passed tests that had advisory or minor defects are labelled Passed (advisories) and shown in amber so you can see where the vehicle has been patched up over time.

Click any test to expand the list of defects for that visit. On the printed PDF, every test is expanded by default so the printed record is complete.

Previous keepers

The number of registered keepers the vehicle has had. There's no hard rule, but:

A 3-year-old car with 4+ keepers is unusual and worth asking about.
A 10-year-old car with 1 keeper (or "me and the wife") is a positive signal.
Ex-fleet / ex-hire vehicles typically show high keeper counts; not a fault but factor it into price.

Plate and colour changes

Every VRM and colour the vehicle has been registered under. Legitimate reasons to swap plates: personalised-plate transfer, inheritance from another vehicle. Legitimate reasons to respray: body repair, owner preference. Combined with other signals (e.g. Cat S + plate change + respray) they can indicate hidden accident history.

Import markers

Flags whether the vehicle was imported into the UK rather than first-registered here. UK records can miss accident history from the country of origin. Not automatically a red flag, but ask the seller for any paperwork from the original market.

Putting it together

A history report with at least one amber and one red signal — A report with caution signals: investigate each amber or red before deciding.

The report is a tool for conversation, not a pass/fail certificate. A vehicle with one amber signal and a believable explanation might still be a good buy. A vehicle with two or three ambers (say, a plate change plus a Cat N plus a mileage gap) deserves a much harder look or a pass.

If in doubt, walk away. The next one will come along, and a £13.99 check is cheap compared to the cost of being wrong about a vehicle with real problems.