What is HPI Check and What does it Include?
If you are planning to buy a used car, you’ve come across advices about getting HPI check of the car you are planning to buy and you may be wondering what it is.
Well, HPI check is an automobile check offered by HPI Ltd. that inspects the detailed history of any vehicle, including cars, motorbikes and vans, registered in the UK.
Getting a HPI check is a good idea while buying a used car because it can alert you against any history of the car that is worrying, e.g. information held by the police, the DVLA, insurance and finance companies and other such bodies against the vehicle.
This check is perhaps the most important check you can do while buying a secondhand vehicle and must be your first line of defence against any vehicle scam. You can even get a free HPI check.
What is included in a HPI check? Let’s see.
Whether the Vehicle is Stolen
Under the HPI check, it’s checked if the vehicle is recorded at present on the Police National Computer as stolen. Such vehicles are the property of the organisation or individual from whom they were taken. If you buy such a vehicle, you stand to lose it along with the money you paid for it.
Outstanding Finance
It’s also checked whether an outstanding finance agreement or loan is secured on the vehicle. Most loans/finance agreements will grant the vehicle’s ownership till the debt is paid. The debt stays not with the borrower, but the vehicle. If you buy such a vehicle and if its finance has not been settled, the lender could take it back, which means you may lose the vehicle and money you paid.
Recorded as Scrapped
Another important thing checked by HPI check is whether the car has been marked by DVLA as scrapped. If it has been, it should not be on sale or on the road.
Imported or Exported
If the vehicle is imported, it’s very difficult to seek information on its history before its UK registration. Cost of insurance of an imported car is considerably higher and replacement parts are difficult to get. On the other hand, an exported car should not be present in the country; thus its identity may become questionable. It’s also not possible to insure the car that has been marked by the DVLA as exported.
You can know many other important things about a used car with the HPI check so that you can know whether buying a particular car is good for you or not.
So, go ahead and get the HPI check done to get a great peace of mind.
