Car vertical check
Discussion
After seeing them plugged by loads of YouTubers I thought I'd give Car Vertical a go for a check on a car I'm toying with getting. It's on ebay and needs a bit of work, to say the least. The check, which was about £40, came back saying the car had been involved in an insurance claim back in May 2025 with a repair estimate of £5,000 - 10,000. Clearly this work has been carried out because the car was up for sale with Better Performance in Cardiff in December however it is currently on ebay for sale with heavy front end damage and a nice Cat S marker against it.
I emailed Car Vertical to say I was not happy woth the check as it failed to show up the damage and marker but all they did was offer me another check, saying they can't always be accurate due ti several reasons, blah, blah, blah.
For such a well plugged service they were absolutely rubbish today, good luck to the poor soul who buys this 'unregistered' car once it's been repaired. Again..
![](https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/416096/202605067801554?resize=720[/img]</a> <a href="https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/416096/202605067802619" Target="_blank" >[img]https://forums-images.pistonheads.com/416096/202605067802619?resize=720)
I emailed Car Vertical to say I was not happy woth the check as it failed to show up the damage and marker but all they did was offer me another check, saying they can't always be accurate due ti several reasons, blah, blah, blah.
For such a well plugged service they were absolutely rubbish today, good luck to the poor soul who buys this 'unregistered' car once it's been repaired. Again..
Yes I did use a code but got a package for a couple of checks, I know there are plenty of cheaper ones available but tried these guys as I was specifically hoping to get some info on the latest damage, perhaps dates and more pics of the damage
Edited by Stellartois on Wednesday 6th May 22:01
Did one with a discount code for around £10, I knew the car was damaged/repaired but wanted to see if I could get photos of the extent of the damage before viewing so I would know where to look for cut corners.
It worked for me, I got photos and spotted that the bonnet had been repaired rather than replaced and bumper was from a lower trim model so didnt purchase.
It worked for me, I got photos and spotted that the bonnet had been repaired rather than replaced and bumper was from a lower trim model so didnt purchase.
WelshPetrolhead said:
£40!!
Didn't you use one of the many discount codes?
A hpi check is about a tenner.
HPI isn't infallable https://www.am-online.com/news/market-insight/2021...Didn't you use one of the many discount codes?
A hpi check is about a tenner.
ZX10R NIN said:
I've found Vcheck better & it's cheaper too.
Agree, vcheck is the one.All of the checks are only as good as the databases they check.
If the databases havent been updated then the checking service can't help you.
Carvertical is good for exotic cars as it covers international databases (so ideal if a cars been imported from another country) but for run of the mill cars vcheck is more than good enough.
If the databases havent been updated then the checking service can't help you.
Carvertical is good for exotic cars as it covers international databases (so ideal if a cars been imported from another country) but for run of the mill cars vcheck is more than good enough.
Who has a legal obligation to inform the DVLA of a CAT S or a potential CAT S? Is it only the garage that undertakes the repair?
So in a hypothetical scenario where my car is crashed into and has structural damage, the other party pays me cash settlement to avoid insurance and I then sell the damaged car on Facebook to a random dude, it can get repaired without any CAT marker or any history for HPI /Car Vertical / V-Check to find.
In the above scenario, should I phone DVLA to tell them that it is damaged and sold? Am I legally obliged to?
So in a hypothetical scenario where my car is crashed into and has structural damage, the other party pays me cash settlement to avoid insurance and I then sell the damaged car on Facebook to a random dude, it can get repaired without any CAT marker or any history for HPI /Car Vertical / V-Check to find.
In the above scenario, should I phone DVLA to tell them that it is damaged and sold? Am I legally obliged to?
Matt_T said:
Who has a legal obligation to inform the DVLA of a CAT S or a potential CAT S? Is it only the garage that undertakes the repair?
So in a hypothetical scenario where my car is crashed into and has structural damage, the other party pays me cash settlement to avoid insurance and I then sell the damaged car on Facebook to a random dude, it can get repaired without any CAT marker or any history for HPI /Car Vertical / V-Check to find.
In the above scenario, should I phone DVLA to tell them that it is damaged and sold? Am I legally obliged to?
If the insurance haven't catergorised it then its not a Cat N/S etc and never will be.So in a hypothetical scenario where my car is crashed into and has structural damage, the other party pays me cash settlement to avoid insurance and I then sell the damaged car on Facebook to a random dude, it can get repaired without any CAT marker or any history for HPI /Car Vertical / V-Check to find.
In the above scenario, should I phone DVLA to tell them that it is damaged and sold? Am I legally obliged to?
The Cat system is purely for the insurance industry. If a car is severely bent and insurance don't know aboout it then it won't get picked up.
Stellartois said:
came back saying the car had been involved in an insurance claim back in May 2025 with a repair estimate of £5,000 - 10,000
..................
currently on ebay for sale with heavy front end damage and a nice Cat S marker against it.
Your OP is far from clear - are you saying the Car Vertical report reported the damage but not a Cat S marker; but the eBay advert shows the Cat S marker in the title?..................
currently on ebay for sale with heavy front end damage and a nice Cat S marker against it.
It does seem that the eBay seller has a damaged car, and assumed its Cat S so put it in the title, when in fact it doesn't.
As above, cars can be (heavily) damaged and not get the marker, if the insurer isn't involved and/or doesn't pay out - for example drunk driving. In which case, Car Vertical has given you correct information and you have no claim against them. A lot of other, cheaper, car checking services wouldn't have listed the 5-10k damage or pics.
I used car vertical on a car I bought recently, and I can't say I was impressed, especially not for the cost.
VIN Number not shown on the report, a fairly basic thing I would have thought.
Engine power incorrect, 225kW/306PS when it should be 168KW/225PS
Didn't pick up on a discrepancy between the build colour (Grey) and the V5C Colour (Red)
VIN Number not shown on the report, a fairly basic thing I would have thought.
Engine power incorrect, 225kW/306PS when it should be 168KW/225PS
Didn't pick up on a discrepancy between the build colour (Grey) and the V5C Colour (Red)
Edited by chrisman on Saturday 9th May 18:33
kharma45 said:
WelshPetrolhead said:
£40!!
Didn't you use one of the many discount codes?
A hpi check is about a tenner.
HPI isn't infallable https://www.am-online.com/news/market-insight/2021...Didn't you use one of the many discount codes?
A hpi check is about a tenner.
ZX10R NIN said:
I've found Vcheck better & it's cheaper too.
Agree, vcheck is the one.One free tool I did find was https://hpivaluations.com/ - gives you the same results as the valuations tab on the HPI check. You just give them your details for marketing and they send you the valuation. I have yet to receive any marketing emails from them. Much better than using WBAC or Motorway.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff