AFAUTOFINDER.

    Guide · Checked 9 October 2026

    Do you need a mechanic's inspection? What each check catches and costs

    For most used cars, no. A mechanic's visit costs £79 to £267, takes a day or two to arrange and covers the one car you've already decided on. AutoFinder's inspection costs £5.99, runs on your phone at the viewing in about 15 minutes, catches the things that cost buyers money (kerbed wheels, warning lights, a mileage that doesn't match, a rough engine, a VIN that doesn't match the logbook) and prices every one for your area, with a value as it stands and the message to send the seller. Add the history check (£9.99, or £14.99 for both) for finance, theft and write-offs before you pay a deposit, and the report tells you if anything it found is worth a ramp.

    Start an inspection Check a car for free

    Example: a 2017 Golf at £6,495, 14 minutes at the car

    Buy, with £520 off the price

    • 1Kerbed front alloy, driver side£90
    • 2Scuffed rear bumper corner£180
    • 3Two front tyres at 2 mm£170
    • 4Engine warning light onfrom £80
    Worth as it stands£5,600

    Priced at local rates, with the message to send the seller written for you.

    £5.99

    AutoFinder's inspection, at the viewing

    £79 to £267

    a mechanic's visit, booked for another day

    15 min

    at the car, every fault priced

    What it checks

    AutoFinder inspection
    Bodywork and wheels from your photos or a video, the dashboard's warning lights and mileage, the VIN against the logbook, the engine's sound, fluids, tyres and brakes by guided steps
    AutoFinder history check
    Finance owed, stolen, insurance write-off (Cat A, B, S, N) with the damage drawn on the car, previous keepers, plate changes, the logbook date
    Mechanic's visit
    Brakes, suspension, steering and leaks from underneath, a road test; sometimes a diagnostic scan

    Who does it

    AutoFinder inspection
    You, at the car, guided step by step, about 15 minutes
    AutoFinder history check
    Experian's data, in seconds
    Mechanic's visit
    A mechanic booked for another day, 1 to 3 hours

    What you get

    AutoFinder inspection
    Every fault priced for your area, a grade, a value as it stands, an offer, and the message to send the seller
    AutoFinder history check
    A verdict, what's on record, what it means and what to ask, with Experian's £10,000 data guarantee
    Mechanic's visit
    A points list; repair prices vary by provider, and a history check is extra

    Catches

    AutoFinder inspection
    Scuffs, kerbed wheels, warning lights, a clocked dash, a rough idle, a VIN that doesn't match, and what they add up to against the asking price
    AutoFinder history check
    Debt you'd inherit, a car that isn't the seller's to sell, a repaired write-off
    Mechanic's visit
    Wear that needs a lift to see

    Misses

    AutoFinder inspection
    What needs a ramp; the report says when something it found is worth one
    AutoFinder history check
    The car itself; that's the inspection
    Mechanic's visit
    The paperwork, the price, and the cars you looked at but didn't book it for

    Cost, October 2026

    AutoFinder inspection
    £5.99, or 5 for £24.99
    AutoFinder history check
    £9.99, or £14.99 with the inspection (AA and RAC charge £14.99 for the check alone, HPI £19.99)
    Mechanic's visit
    ClickMechanic £79 to £137; RAC £116 to £267; AA £142 to £191

    When

    AutoFinder inspection
    Every viewing, before you talk price
    AutoFinder history check
    Before you pay a deposit
    Mechanic's visit
    Rarely: a classic, or when the report flags something only a ramp can settle

    How to use them together

    Screen the reg for free before you travel (MOT history, mileage trail, tax, recalls and the ex-taxi pattern), so you don't drive to a car with a problem on record. Inspect at the viewing with the app and use what it found to agree the price: the report prices each fault for your area and writes the message to the seller. Run the history check on the car you've agreed on, before the deposit; the Full Check does both for £14.99. If the report flags something only a ramp can settle, you'll know exactly what to have looked at, and you've spent £5.99 finding out instead of £150.

    Questions

    Is a £5.99 inspection any good against a £150 one?
    It catches the things that cost most buyers money, kerbed wheels, warning lights, a mileage that doesn't match, a knock, a VIN that doesn't match, and prices every one of them, at the viewing, on the day. A mechanic can't be booked for every car you look at; the app can, and it tells you when a car is worth more than a look.
    Do I need a history check if the seller shows me a clean HPI?
    Run your own. A check is a snapshot of one day, and a printout can be old or edited. £9.99 against a car you can't sell because there's finance on it is not a close call.
    Does a mechanic's inspection include a history check?
    Usually not; the AA and RAC sell it separately at £14.99. AutoFinder's Full Check is the inspection and the history check together for £14.99.

    Prices checked 9 October 2026 from each provider's own page; ClickMechanic's AA and RAC comparison is as published on its site.

    Inspect the car before you pay for it.

    £5.99 at the viewing, every fault priced, and the message to send the seller.

    Start an inspection Check a car for free