About us
We built Car Advert Check because buying a used car shouldn't feel like a gamble. Every day, buyers are subjected to manipulated photos, hidden histories, and sellers who conveniently forget to mention the expensive repairs looming around the corner.
We level the playing field. By cross-referencing live DVSA MOT history with known model faults and the seller's exact advert text, we read between the lines to find the red flags you might miss. We calculate the real maintenance risks and give you the leverage to negotiate hard, before you ever step foot on a driveway.
We just want to make sure you never accidentally buy a lemon.
Why I built this
I'm Matt. A few years back I got caught out by a car scam and lost the best part of a grand. I'm usually the one who spots that sort of thing a mile off, but this one got me. I've always been the friend everyone messages before they buy a car, van or motorbike. We've all got that mate that knows more than us about them. After running the same checks over and over for people, I realised I could build something that does what I do, just faster and better. So that is Car Advert Check.
Where that comes from: I have spent years fixing things, everything from diggers to cars to motorbikes, and I have lived in and around motorhomes long enough to know what goes wrong with those as well. I have been dragged along to more viewings than I can remember, and I still get adverts sent to me most weeks. The other half of it is that I build software for a living, so I am the one people ask about scams generally, not just the car ones.
By all means still message your mechanic friend, I'd genuinely miss the texts, but this will help you narrow it down first, so you are not firing twenty listings at them on a Sunday night.
Matt Hale, founder of Car Advert Check
Dealerships & API access
Want to run our investigative checks in bulk, or plug our AI analysis directly into your own automotive platform? We are currently building out bulk-scan accounts for independent dealerships and a dedicated API for developers.