The vehicle you look up comes live from the DVLA and the DVSA. The statistics around it — recalls, pass rates, theft rates, how many are left, fuel prices — come from the 24 datasets below. Each card says where the figures come from, how often we refresh them and when we last did. Most recent refresh: 1 November 2026.
Automated datasets are fetched on a schedule and compared with the previous copy before anything is published: entry counts, the set of makes and models and a few headline figures have to stay within bands, or a person looks first. Hand-run datasets have due dates and a calendar. Every page that uses a dataset shows a “Data as of” line with the same date you see here, so a figure is never presented as more current than it is. The live lookups — DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service, the DVSA MOT history and eBay listings for valuations — are described on the About page.
Scheduled jobs fetch these, compare every file with the previous version (counts, key sets and headline figures must stay within bands) and commit only what passes.
Source: DVSA Vehicle Recalls
Feeds: Results page recalls · /recall-check · /api/recalls · My Cars recall alerts · Buyer's check
Source: VCA Car Fuel Data
Feeds: Running costs (mpg) · /api/fuel-economy · Results page economy
Source: Euro NCAP
Feeds: Results page safety rating · Model guides
Source: ONS MM23 series D7E8 (CPI new cars, 2015=100)
Feeds: Valuation (deflates today's list price to the registration year)
Source: Parkers reviews
Feeds: Valuation start price · Model guides · Running costs
Source: EV Database
Feeds: Results page EV specs · Running costs (electric)
Source: DESNZ weekly road fuel prices
Feeds: /stats/fuel-prices · /api/fuel-prices · Running costs
Source: DfT VEH0120
Feeds: /stats/how-many-left · Results page rarity · Theft rates (denominator)
Source: Free Plate Check valuation telemetry (eBay comparables)
Feeds: Valuation (market-calibrated start price per model family)
Annual releases and a Freedom of Information request. Each has a due date; a calendar reminds us, and the dates below are the proof.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results
Feeds: /stats/mot-pass-rates · /stats/most-reliable-cars · Results page pass rate · Buyer's check
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results
Feeds: Results page common failures · /stats/mot-pass-rates
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results
Feeds: /mot-prices/[town]
Source: DVLA FOI FOIR13058 ÷ DfT VEH0120
Feeds: Results page theft rating · Buyer's check · /stats/car-theft · /stats/least-stolen-cars
Source: DVLA FOI FOIR13058 ÷ DfT VEH0120
Feeds: Results page theft rating (vans) · /stats/van-theft
Source: DVLA FOI FOIR13058 ÷ DfT VEH0120
Feeds: /stats/car-theft · /stats/van-theft · /stats/motorbike-theft · /stats/least-stolen-cars · Stats hub
Source: SMMT new car registrations by colour
Feeds: /stats/car-colours · Results page colour fact
Source: Curated (DfT VEH0220 stopped publishing body shapes in 2026)
Feeds: Results page body type · Model guides · Theft and MOT lookups (model matching)
Source: GOV.UK MOT fee schedule and published garage price guides
Feeds: /booking savings · /cheap-mot · /mot-prices · Servicing guides
Source: Manufacturer specification sheets
Feeds: Results page tyre sizes · Model guides
Source: Manufacturer specification sheets
Feeds: Results page dimensions · Model guides
Reference lists we maintain against official pages and published sources, revised when something changes.
Source: Council and TfL scheme pages (GOV.UK Clean Air Zones)
Feeds: /clean-air-zones · /ulez-check · Results page ULEZ/CAZ
Source: Editorial regional garage price bands; DVSA results via mot-areas.json
Feeds: /mot-prices · /mot-prices/[town]
Source: Editorial, drawn from the /stats pages
Feeds: Homepage Did you know? · Results page while loading
Source: Editorial, web-researched and fact-checked (2026-06)
Feeds: Results page trivia · Model guides
Dates are when our copy of each file last changed. “Covers” is the period the figures describe, which for annual releases is earlier than the refresh date.