Vehicle checks
Can I Check a Car's History From Just a Picture?
Have you ever walked past a car for sale on the street, or seen a suspicious vehicle parked in your neighbourhood, and wondered about its history? You don't need to write down the registration plate anymore. With modern AI tools, a quick photo is all you need to uncover a car's past.
1. How AI Number Plate Scanning Works
Kermo's free AI scanner uses advanced optical character recognition (OCR) powered by Google Gemini to instantly read UK number plates from photos. It can extract the registration mark even if the photo is taken at an angle, in low light, or if the plate is slightly dirty. Once the text is extracted, it automatically queries the official DVSA database.
2. What Information Will the Photo Reveal?
A single photo of a number plate unlocks the car's entire public history. This includes the current MOT and tax status, the expiry dates, a complete log of every MOT test since 2005 (including failures and advisories), and the car's exact mileage at each test. This makes it impossible for unscrupulous sellers to hide a 'clocked' odometer.
3. Is It Legal to Scan Someone Else's Number Plate?
Yes. A vehicle registration mark is public information. The DVSA deliberately makes MOT and tax history publicly available to improve road safety and protect buyers from fraud. You can check any UK-registered vehicle without the owner's permission. However, the database will not reveal the owner's name or address (that requires a V888 request to the DVLA for a 'reasonable cause').
4. How to Use the Free Scanner
Simply go to the Kermo homepage on your mobile phone and tap the camera icon inside the search bar. Point your camera at the number plate (or upload an existing photo from your gallery) and wait a few seconds. The AI will do the rest, taking you straight to the vehicle's full report.
Try the free AI number plate scanner
Use Kermo to turn the information in this guide into a practical vehicle or fuel check.
Try the free AI number plate scanner