MOT history. DVLA check. Mileage cross-checked.
UK Copart masks the VIN. The VRN, however, is plainly visible — and the government's free APIs cover the same ground better. CarMargin pulls them both on every lot.
DVSA MOT history
Pulled by VRN, cached against the auction-end of the lot. Every test is shown:
- Pass / fail history with dates back as far as DVSA records go.
- Mileage at every test — the input that powers mileage-fraud detection.
- Advisories at each test, mined for model-specific issues that line up with the damage you're looking at.
- Expiry date, so you know whether you're buying a car that needs an MOT before it can move.
Mileage fraud, in one glance.
Copart says the lot is 38,000 miles. The 2024 MOT recorded 67,000. The 2023 MOT recorded 64,000. CarMargin shows you the timeline and flags it — clocked or honest mistake, you know before you bid.
Want the full diagnostic checklist? Read how to spot mileage fraud on a UK Copart lot.
Advisory mining
Advisories are the unsung gold of MOT data. A 2023 "timing chain rattle" advisory on a 2010 BMW 320d damaged-engine lot tells you the engine was probably the reason the car ended up at Copart, not the bumper damage in the photos. CarMargin reads every advisory across every test and surfaces the ones that line up with the lot's known damage.
DVLA Vehicle Enquiry
A second VRN lookup against DVLA confirms what Copart's listing claims:
- Make, model, year, colour
- Fuel type and CO2 figure
- Tax status and MOT due date
When Copart and DVLA disagree (the listing says petrol, DVLA says diesel; or the listing year is off), CarMargin flags it. Listing errors do happen.
Privacy and attribution.
VRNs are stored on the lot record only — never associated with a user account. Every analysis surfaces the data origin clearly:
MOT data via DVSA · Vehicle data via DVLA
CarMargin operates inside DVSA and DVLA API terms (rate limits, no impersonation). MOT and DVLA results are cached against the same auction-end window as the AI analysis and removed shortly after the auction ends.