How it works
What Motintel can tell you about a used car.
Motintel looks for patterns across UK MOT tests and related government data, then translates those patterns into practical checks for buyers and owners.
The data behind the checks
The product is built around DVSA anonymised MOT results, DVSA reasons-for-refusal lookup data, vehicle recall records, DfT vehicle licensing statistics, and ONS geography data. Those sources are useful because they describe observed test outcomes and concrete fault themes, not just owner opinions.
What a model report should answer
A useful report should help you understand what tends to fail on a model, when those faults start appearing, and whether a problem is unusual compared with similar cars of the same age and mileage.
| Common failure themes | Suspension, brakes, tyres, lighting, emissions, corrosion, steering, and other MOT themes are grouped into buyer-friendly checks. |
|---|---|
| Mileage bands | High-mileage cars are analysed separately where the data supports it, because a 200k-mile car has different risks from a 40k-mile car. |
| Age context | Some issues are normal wear. Motintel compares against similar vehicles so the report does not overstate ordinary ageing. |
| Recall context | Recall records are shown separately from MOT outcomes so safety notices are not confused with annual-test failures. |
| Plain limitations | A population-level pattern cannot diagnose one specific car. It can tell you what to inspect and what questions to ask. |
What to do with the answer
Use Motintel before you book a viewing, before you call a seller, or before you decide whether a car is worth inspecting. A good report should help you make a focused checklist, not make the decision for you.
- Ask better questions: "Have the brake pipes been replaced?", "Any suspension work?", "Any corrosion advisories?"
- Inspect the right areas: use the common failure themes to focus your viewing.
- Compare fairly: judge the car against similar age and mileage, not against a new car.
- Check the individual car: combine the report with history checks, service records, and inspection.
The important caveat
Motintel can show patterns across many MOT tests, but it cannot certify the condition of the exact car you are looking at. It is a tool for knowing what to check, not a substitute for a vehicle history check, service records, or a professional inspection.
Data sources
All underlying data is published by UK government departments under open licences. No data is scraped or estimated.
| Source | What it provides | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| DVSA anonymised MOT results | Test outcomes, defect reasons (RFR codes), mileage, and dates for every MOT performed in Great Britain. | DVSA / data.gov.uk |
| Vehicle recall records | Manufacturer recall notices for all vehicles registered in Great Britain. | DVSA / data.gov.uk |
| DfT vehicle licensing statistics | Licensed vehicle counts by make, fuel type, and region — used for fleet context and comparison. | Department for Transport |
| ONS NSPL postcode lookup | Maps postcodes to regions for geographic aggregation. | Office for National Statistics |
Data freshness
The DVSA MOT dataset is updated annually for historical full-year data, and monthly for the rolling current year. Model reports are regenerated when a new dataset becomes available. The date shown at the top of each report reflects when that report was last generated from the latest available data.
Vehicle recall data is updated on an ongoing basis as manufacturers issue new notices. The recall section of a model report uses the latest snapshot ingested by the pipeline.