Who operates this service
CheckThePlate is an independently operated service. The individual operating CheckThePlate is responsible for the personal information processed through this website and checker. CheckThePlate is not currently a registered company.
For privacy questions or requests, email contact@checktheplate.co.uk.
Information used when you run a check
- Your registration input: the UK vehicle registration you enter, used to request the available records.
- Vehicle records: the MOT results, odometer readings, vehicle details and recorded defects returned by the relevant data provider.
- Connection information: standard request information such as IP address, browser headers and request time, processed when delivering and protecting the service.
- Preferences: your light or dark theme choice, stored in your browser.
- Correspondence: your email address and anything you provide when contacting us.
Why we use this information
We use registration numbers and returned records to provide the check you request. We use connection information to deliver, troubleshoot and protect the service, and correspondence to respond to questions and privacy requests.
Where this information is personal data, we rely on legitimate interests in providing the requested free vehicle-history service, maintaining its security and answering enquiries. Our interests are limited to these purposes; we do not use the registration input to identify or contact a vehicle's owner. Where we need to keep information to meet a legal obligation, we rely on that obligation.
You choose whether to enter a registration. Without it, we cannot request a vehicle report. Browsing the public information pages does not require a registration or account.
Where the records come from and who receives data
When you run a check, the registration is sent to our API service on Cloudflare. That service requests records from DVSA's MOT history service and, when available, DVLA's Vehicle Enquiry Service. The relevant provider receives the registration needed for that lookup. We are independent of these government agencies.
Cloudflare hosts the website and API and processes requests to deliver and protect them. Our public website serves fonts locally. The Flutter checker may request fonts or rendering resources from its configured external providers, which can receive standard connection information.
We do not sell the registration input or use it for advertising. This version does not include advertising trackers or marketing analytics. If you choose the report's email action, it opens your email application; your chosen email provider handles any message you send.
Storage and retention
Reports, recent checks and garage entries are held in the running application's memory. They are not synced to an account or stored in a report database. Reloading or closing the application can clear them.
The registration appears in the checker's URL and API requests. Your browser may keep it in history, and infrastructure providers may process it in operational or security records. Avoid sharing report links if you do not want to share the registration.
Your theme preference stays in local browser storage until you change it or clear site storage. Browser history is controlled by your browser's own settings.
We keep enquiry correspondence for as long as needed to respond and resolve the enquiry, or to meet a relevant legal obligation. Service providers may retain their operational records under their own retention policies. We do not maintain a separate archive of vehicle reports.
International processing
Hosting and resource providers may process connection information outside the UK as part of their global services. Cloudflare describes its processing arrangements and international-transfer safeguards in its Data Processing Addendum and privacy policy. Contact us if you need further information about a provider used by the service.
Your choices and rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access personal information, correct inaccurate information, request deletion, restrict processing, object to processing based on legitimate interests, or receive a portable copy where that right applies. These rights have conditions and exceptions.
Send requests to contact@checktheplate.co.uk. We may need enough information to verify your identity and locate the relevant information. Do not send identity documents or an API key unless we explain why they are needed and how to provide them securely.
You can also clear the theme preference and browser history using your browser controls. Clearing local preferences does not remove records held independently by government data providers or infrastructure services.
Automated summaries
The checker arranges available records and produces rule-based summaries and mileage comparisons. These do not inspect a vehicle, establish its current condition or make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects about an individual. See our data sources and limitations.
Complaints and changes
Please contact us first if you have concerns. You may also raise a concern with the UK's Information Commissioner's Office through its complaints service.
We will update this page when the service's data use changes, including if accounts, persistent report storage or paid checks are introduced. The date at the top identifies the latest revision.