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One of the most important steps when buying a used car is checking its service history. This will give you a sense of how well the vehicle has been maintained, any repeated faults to be aware of and the true value of the car.
Below is a look at the different types of service history a car can have, how you can check the service history and why it might affect your car insurance.
There are three main types of car service history you’ll come across:
With a full service history, you can comb through all the maintenance work, repairs and inspections a car has undergone in its lifetime. For example, if a car is five years old, there will ideally be a record of five full car services, alongside MOTs.
This type of service history will give you the clearest picture of a car’s value and can make you more confident in your decision to purchase it.
A full dealership service history means there’s a complete record of a car’s service history and all its services have been carried out by one of the car manufacturer’s official dealerships.
This is preferable to a standard full service history, as it means the people who worked on the car had the best understanding of its specifications. It should also indicate that any repairs were carried out with manufacturer-sourced parts.
A part service history means that the vehicle has missed one or more service intervals. You can tell if a car’s service history is only partially complete if there are big time gaps or significant mileage (typically more than 12,000 miles) between recorded services.
If you’re buying a car, a good seller should present you with its service history.
If you’re looking to sell your car, however, there are several ways you can check your car’s service history to present it to prospective buyers.
The first place to check is the car’s service book. This is a physical booklet where the car’s service history is recorded, and it should have all the information you need, including stamps denoting each service and servicer. It’s a good idea to keep your service book in a safe place.
If you’ve lost the car’s service book, you can contact the garage or dealership that services the car. It’ll likely have a digital or paper record of the car’s service history. You may need to prove you’re the owner of the car to access these records.
You may also be able to contact the car’s manufacturer for its digital service history. However, accessibility can differ by manufacturer.
While there’s a difference between an MOT and a full car service, you’ll be able to get a partial view of a car’s history by checking its MOT records. To do so, simply put the vehicle’s registration number into the government’s MOT history tool.
If you’re really struggling to find your car’s service history, you can request information about your vehicle from the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). To do so, you’ll likely need your driving licence and vehicle log book (V5C).
Checking a car’s service history is worth doing whether you’re a buyer, a seller or simply the owner of a car.
First and foremost, checking a car’s service history will allow you to see what kinds of repairs have been made, how well maintained the vehicle has been across its lifetime and whether there are any persistent issues you need to be aware of.
All of this can inform how much you might be willing to pay for the car. For example, a car with a partial service history is arguably worth less than one with a full history.
Since service history plays a part in dictating a car’s value, it also has a role to play in any car insurance claims. The fuller a car’s service history, the more information a car insurance provider will have to determine its value and how much it’ll pay out in the event of a claim.
As a seller, it’s good practice to provide your car’s service history to potential buyers. It can also help you decide how much you list the car for and back up why you believe the vehicle is worth what you’re asking for.
Even if you aren’t looking to sell your car, checking its service history can be a useful reminder of past faults or repairs that you may have forgotten. It can also help you spot inadvertent gaps in its history that you may want to fill in.
If you choose a full service, it should include but is not limited to an inspection of your car’s:
The first big difference between an MOT and a car service is that the formal is a legal requirement each year, while the latter is not.
However, they also differ in scale. An MOT just checks whether your car is roadworthy. A car service is much more rigorous and goes far beyond checking the safety-critical areas covered by an MOT. It also includes the replacement of certain parts, such as filters and spark plugs, where needed.
People often book an MOT and car service at the same time to give their vehicle a full health check.
It’s recommended that you have your car serviced every 12,000 miles or at least once a year, whichever comes first.
You could also consider having a less intensive interim service every half a year or 6,000 miles – again, whichever comes first. This ensures your car is in good health between full services.
It’s possible to buy a car without checking its service history – it’s just not advisable. Without looking at its service history, you won’t know how well maintained the car has been, if there are any problems you need to know about and, importantly, whether the asking price is reasonable.
Unfortunately, forging car service histories has become more common in recent years.
The best way to check the history hasn’t been forged is to cross-reference the history you’ve been provided with against the manufacturer’s database. However, it may not be possible to check the full history of an older car using this method.
In this case, you can try to check that all the garages and dealerships stamped in the service book are legitimate enterprises and that they worked on the car in question. Again, it may be hard to verify every service, depending on the age of the car.
If you’re still doubtful, you can also ask for receipts and proof of paperwork.
