A car's entire MoT history and mileage can now be checked free of charge, thanks to a recently launched government website.

Before the new service, would-be used car buyers would need to pay a fee to HPI or websites such as totalcarcheck.com in order to learn about a car's history.

And while the new website doesn’t provide information about previous insurance claims or accidents, it does provide access to a vehicle's MoT history, including previous test dates, associated MoT test numbers, mileage at time of testing, and, importantly, whether or not the car passed.

Reasons for any MoT failures are also listed on the site.

In addition, key advisory notices – like noisy exhaust or worn brake pads – are also provided.

The site may offer potential buyers a lot more confidence that a car is in a road worthy condition.

The number of cars being 'clocked' is also a worry addressed by the website. Because a vehicle's mileage and mileage intervals between check-ups are listed, it is much easier to spot a car whose mileage may have been tampered with. 

The site also details when a car's MoT certificate runs out.

It should be noted that the site is still in the Beta – or testing – phase and that only results from 2005 onwards are listed.

It also makes clear that some MoT test results are not available for personalised registrations recently transferred.

Another government website can also be used to find out when a car was originally registered, whether or not it is taxed, when that tax needs to be paid by, CO2 emissions data and when the vehicle was made.