Motor Industry News

MyCarCheck.com - the UK's No.1 vehicle provenance website - has saved millions of people from making an expensive used car mistake. It recently published data showing that one in every six vehicles has been previously written-off due to accident damage. If you add in 'outstanding theft' categories, the number of vehicles with some sort of insurance marker against them leaps to around one in four.

Roger Powell, Divisional Head at CDL Vehicle Information Services (which owns MyCarCheck.com), commented: "Putting the safety considerations aside, consumers need to be aware that
buying a previous write-off could have implications for getting
insurance and also the level of payout in the
event of a claim. Previously written-off vehicles frequently find their way back onto our roads quite legally, however, certain insurers will not offer policies on them, particularly not to new customers. Others will cover such vehicles but only with an up-to-date MOT certificate and a satisfactory engineer's report."

"A significant number of motorists call MyCarCheck after their car has been stolen because some insurers will not pay the full amount if the vehicle is a previous write-off. It is a real double whammy for these people because they are often not aware they have been driving round in a Cat D, C or worse. Such calls are always difficult because we prefer to prevent people from making an expensive used car mistake rather than confirming their worst fears. Most insurers' online application forms don't ask "Is it a previous write-off?" so how can these customers be accused of misrepresenting their vehicles?"

"Previous accident damage is one of the fundamental things that used car buyers are concerned about, so spending just a few pounds with MyCarCheck.com is a wise investment. You can confirm in seconds if your potential pride and joy has ever been stolen, written-off, had a plate or colour change, the number of former keepers and much more. Once in possession of the facts, if necessary, ask your insurer: Do you cover previous loss type vehicles? Are there any special criteria? Will I be paid less in the event of a claim?"

In 2010, MyCarCheck.com and MyTextCheck delivered 2.2m consumer checks, which equates to 27% of all vehicles that changed hands in the UK. Parent company CDL performs over 1m vehicle data checks a day for companies including AutoExpress, CompareTheMarket, Tesco Bank and WhatCar. It uses up-to-the-minute information from the Police National Computer (PNC), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and major finance houses including Lloyds TSB.

Know what you're getting into: MyCarCheck.com