An HPI check costs between £9.99 and £29.99 depending on which tier you go for. The basic check is £9.99, the full check with the £30,000 finance guarantee is £19.99, and there's a MultiCheck option at £29.99 for three cars. Prices are correct as of April 2026.
Most people land on this page wanting a straight answer, so here it is:
HPI Check Pricing: All Three Tiers
| Tier | Price | Per car | £30K guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | £9.99 | £9.99 | No |
| Full | £19.99 | £19.99 | Yes |
| MultiCheck | £29.99 | ~£10 each | Yes |
Prices from hpicheck.com, verified April 2026.
The basic and full checks run on the same car. The only difference is the guarantee. The MultiCheck is for people viewing three cars and wanting the guarantee on whichever one they buy.
What Does Each HPI Tier Include?
Both the basic and full check cover the same core data. The guarantee is the only thing that separates them.
| Feature | Basic (£9.99) | Full (£19.99) |
|---|---|---|
| Stolen vehicle check (PNC) | Yes | Yes |
| Outstanding finance | Yes | Yes |
| Write-off history (Cat S, N, B, A) | Yes | Yes |
| Plate change history | Yes | Yes |
| Keeper count | Yes | Yes |
| Mileage discrepancy flag | Yes | Yes |
| VIN verification | Yes | Yes |
| £30,000 finance guarantee | No | Yes |
The £30,000 guarantee is straightforward: if you buy a car after running a full HPI check and undisclosed finance turns up later, HPI covers you up to £30,000. That's the main reason people pay the extra tenner.
Is an HPI Check Worth It?
It depends entirely on how much the car costs.
Spending £15,000 or more? The full check at £19.99 makes sense. You're paying £20 for £30,000 of financial protection. If undisclosed finance surfaces after you buy, that guarantee could save you the entire value of the car. At this price bracket, it's a no-brainer.
Spending under £5,000? The maths start to look different. A £3,000 car is unlikely to have outstanding finance. You're paying £20 for a guarantee you'll almost certainly never use. A cheaper check gives you the same stolen, finance and write-off data without the guarantee, and you could put the £15 you saved toward a mechanic looking over the car in person.
Viewing several cars? This is where HPI gets expensive. Most buyers view 5-10 cars before committing. Even the MultiCheck only covers three. At those volumes, you're better off running cheap checks on everything and saving HPI for the final car you actually want to buy.
Cheaper Alternatives to an HPI Check
Every UK vehicle check provider pulls from the same underlying databases. The core stolen, finance and write-off data is the same whether you pay £5 or £20. What differs is the extras and the guarantee.
| Service | Price | Stolen/finance/write-off | Extras | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPI (full) | £19.99 | Yes | Mileage, keeper count, plate changes | £30,000 |
| PlateInsight | £5.99 (full check) | Yes | Mileage, keeper history, AI health score, verdict, failure forecast, valuation, photo analysis, vehicle comparison, save to garage | No |
| AA Car Check | ~£9.95 | Yes | Mileage, keeper history | No |
| RAC Vehicle Check | ~£9.95 | Yes | Physical inspection option (£149+) | No |
| CarVertical | £35.99 | Yes | International history, listing photos | No |
Prices verified April 2026. PlateInsight full check price based on 25-credit pack (£5.99).
The trade-off is always the guarantee. If you need it, HPI is the only option. If you don't, you're paying a premium for it anyway.
For a full breakdown of every UK provider, see our best vehicle check UK comparison. If you're specifically weighing up HPI against CarVertical, we've written a dedicated comparison covering when each one makes more sense.
The Practical Approach
Run cheap checks on every car you're considering. Use PlateInsight at £0.30 per basic check to shortlist the ones worth viewing. The AI health score and critical issues forecast tell you which cars have red flags before you drive anywhere.
When you've settled on your top pick, run the full stolen, finance and write-off check. On PlateInsight that's £5.99 (the 25-credit pack). If the car costs over £15,000 and you want the financial safety net, add HPI's full check for the £30K guarantee on top.
A 50-credit PlateInsight pack (£9.99) covers 10 basic vehicle checks plus a full background check (35 credits total), with 15 credits left over. Three cars on HPI MultiCheck costs £29.99. Ten on HPI would run you about £100.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an HPI check cost in 2026?
Basic: £9.99. Full (with £30K guarantee): £19.99. MultiCheck (3 cars): £29.99. Prices from hpicheck.com, April 2026.
Is an HPI check worth it?
On cars over £15,000, the £30K finance guarantee justifies the £19.99. On cheaper cars, a lower-cost alternative like PlateInsight (£5.99 for a full background check) gives you the same data without the premium.
What's the difference between a basic and full HPI check?
The data is the same. The full check adds the £30,000 finance guarantee, which covers you if undisclosed finance is found after you buy the car.
Is there a cheaper alternative to HPI?
PlateInsight offers a full stolen, finance and write-off check for £5.99 (25-credit pack). AA and RAC charge about £9.95 each. All pull from the same databases. None include the £30K guarantee.
Can I get a free HPI check?
No. HPI doesn't offer free checks. The GOV.UK MOT History tool is free but only covers MOT data, not stolen, finance or write-off information. PlateInsight gives you 5 free credits on signup for basic data checks.
Check Any Vehicle for £0.30
AI health score, critical issues forecast, and full MOT analysis. 5 free credits, no card required.
Download for iOS (5 Free Credits)Disclosure: This guide is published by PlateInsight. We've aimed to be accurate about HPI's pricing and features, but we're a competitor, not a neutral party. HPI pricing was verified from hpicheck.com in April 2026 and may change. HPI Check is a trademark of Cap HPI Limited.