How to check if a car has been in an accident

Maybe you haven't bought yet, and you're trying to work out what the car in front of you has been through. Or maybe the deal is already done, the V5C has your name on it, and you've started asking a more uncomfortable question: has my car been in an accident that could affect my safety?

Knowing how to check if a car has been in an accident is the key difference between getting a fair used buy or an expensive lesson, as a crash leaves its mark long after the bodywork’s been straightened out. And there’s good reason to do it: UK drivers bought 7,807,872 used cars in 2025, and carVertical's own data shows that nearly one in five vehicles it checked that year carried damage records.

Fortunately, a few simple steps can help you uncover accident damage before it becomes your problem.

The risks of buying a car that's been in an accident

Not every repaired car is necessarily bad. But it's worth understanding what you're taking on before you hand over the money.

• Structural damage you can't see. Modern cars use ultra-high-strength steel in the safety cage. Once bent, it can't be straightened and heating it weakens it further. Airbags are single-use too, but a dishonest repairer can reset modules and leave bags empty.
• Lower resale value. A recorded write-off usually sells for 20% to 40% less than a clean car, and the marker never comes off the record. Insurance costs climb too: roughly 10% to 25% extra for Cat N and 20% to 50% for Cat S.
• Repairs that were never done properly. Filler over structural damage, incorrect welding and non-genuine parts are typical. Modern problems include missed ADAS recalibration (the car's cameras, radars, and sensors), featuring in 44% of windscreen claims in 2023.
• Problems that surface later. Water getting into wiring, corrosion at seams where protection wasn’t replaced, and geometry that quietly eats a set of tyres. Recalibrating a windscreen camera starts at about £150 to £199, radar sensors often £349 or more.

How to find out if a car has been in an accident

There’s no single method that can find every accident. A repair paid for in cash, damage below the insurer's claim threshold, or a crash that happened abroad before the car was imported may leave no record anywhere.

The most reliable approach is to layer methods. Run a car accident history check first, then inspect the car yourself, then drive it, and bring in a professional when the money involved justifies it.

These aren't interchangeable. Each one answers a different question:

• History check reveals recorded events you could never see yourself.
• Visual inspection finds the physical clues left by repairs.
• Test drive exposes how the car behaves under load.
• Professional inspection gives you an expert verdict on condition.

Check the car's history for accident records on carVertical

A history check is the only step that reveals information the car itself won't tell you. Insurers, registries and police forces log events against a VIN, and those records stay put even after the dents are gone and the seller has moved on.

carVertical is one option for checking recorded accident and damage history, pulling data from more than 1,000 international sources. It's particularly useful for imports, where a car's earlier life is otherwise invisible in the UK. Just as importantly, it can surface aspects the current seller genuinely doesn't know, as plenty of owners have no idea their car was repaired two keepers ago.

The Damage section lists recorded events in order, with a visual of the car showing which areas were affected.

Depending on what's available for that vehicle, a record can include:

• the date and location of the damage
• the damage groups, meaning which parts of the car were hit
• an estimated repair cost, shown as a band rather than an exact figure
• a possible cause of the damage
• the write-off category, if an insurer recorded one
• photographs of the car, where these can be matched to a record

There's also an AI damage feature that can flag damage visible in the Photo section even when no official accident record exists.

Always weigh the damage groups and the estimated repair cost against what the car was worth at the time they happened. A larger repair bill on a modest car points to something serious, while a smaller bill on an expensive one often means a bumper and a bit of paint.

Remember, too, that one recorded incident isn't automatically a deal-breaker. A documented, professionally managed repair is a very different thing from an unknown.

Look for visual signs a car has been in an accident

Databases cover recorded events, but your eyes can add much more when practising how to find out if a car has been in an accident.

As a quick starter, always inspect in daylight, on a clean and dry car, and take your time. Also remember that a professionally repaired car may show few or no visible signs at all, which is why this step supports a history check rather than replaces it.

1. Check for visible signs of damage

Work around the whole car, front to back, running your hand along each panel. You're feeling for dents, ripples, cracks, deformation and anything that interrupts a smooth line.

Check the lights for cracks or misting, then look under the boot floor lining and into the spare wheel well, where rear-impact repairs are often left unpainted. Under the bonnet, look at the slam panel and inner wings.

Don't skip the wheels. A mismatched tyre or a heavily kerbed alloy on one corner could mean an impact, and a tyre's date code can never be older than the car itself.

2. Examine the panels and door gaps

Uneven gaps between the doors and the panels next to them usually mean one of two things: patchy build quality, or a car that's been apart.

Compare left to right rather than judging any single gap. Start with the bonnet and wings, then the doors, then the boot lid and rear wings. Everything should sit flush when closed.

Run a finger along the seams while you're there. Kinked seams, or a panel that feels thicker than its opposite, are all worth a follow-up question.

3. Look for signs of a bad paint job

Look along the car at a shallow angle in daylight and watch how the reflections move. Colour differences between panels, orange peel texture, masking lines and overspray on rubber seals or in the door shuts are giveaways.

A paint depth gauge helps, though treat the numbers as a rule of thumb rather than a standard, since factory thickness varies by manufacturer, panel and material. As a rough guide:

• around 80 to 120 microns for original factory paintwork
• around 150 to 260 microns where a panel has been resprayed
• anything above 300 microns as a reason to ask questions

Compare readings across the car rather than fixing on one place or number. Overall consistency matters more than the absolute figure.

4. Check the serial numbers on the windows

Every pane of glass carries a small etched monogram showing the manufacturer, the brand and a date code made up of dots around the year. All the original glass will usually share one brand and closely matching dates.

One odd pane is an immediate flag, as is a missing or mismatched approval mark, such as a BS AU or E-mark.

Be mindful of the windscreen, because it's often replaced for reasons that have nothing to do with crashes. UK windscreen claims rose 17% over two years, with full replacements up 13% in 2023 alone, so a single newer screen is not strong enough evidence on its own.

5. Look for mismatched or replacement parts

Headlights, bumpers, mirrors and trim all carry part numbers, maker logos and moulded date stamps. Compare those dates with the car's build date and check that both sides match.

Then look at the fasteners. Bolt heads on bonnet hinges, wings and door strikers show witness marks when they've been undone and repainted, and a missing factory VIN sticker on a panel often means that panel isn't the original.

Non-factory welds, added or missing clips and mismatched fixings all tell the same story and are worth asking about.

Don't read too much into these

Some things can look like accident evidence but usually aren't:

• touched-in stone chips on the bonnet and front bumper
• genuine factory colour variance between plastic bumpers and metal panels
• panel gaps that were uneven when the car left the factory
• one replaced windscreen

Take the car for a test drive

Some accident-related problems only show themselves once the car is moving and loaded up. A proper test drive is where geometry, suspension and electronics stop hiding.

Turn the radio off, drive at a mix of speeds, and use everything. Try the gearbox modes if it has them, accelerate properly, work the air conditioning, parking sensors and driver aids, and turn the steering lock to lock while stationary to listen for noises from the engine bay.

Then pay attention to these six things in particular:

• Steering pulling to one side. Could be geometry knocked out by an impact. More often it's tyre pressures or tracking that simply needs adjusting.
• Unusual vibrations, especially at set speeds or under braking. Could be a bent wheel or hub. More often it's warped discs or wheel balancing.
• Unusual noises, such as knocks, rattles or wind noise. Could be disturbed suspension mounts or misaligned panels. More likely it's worn drop links or loose trim.
• Braking behaviour. Pulling, a long pedal or ABS activity could follow damage to a brake line or corner, though uneven pads and discs are the usual suspects.
• Warning lights. Since the May 2018 MOT changes, active ABS, airbag/SRS, ESC, brake, power steering and TPMS warning lamps are automatic MOT failures. A lit airbag light on a test drive is a genuine red flag.
• Suspension behaviour. Crashing over bumps or a car that sits lower on one corner could mean a bent strut or subframe, but tired dampers and springs are far more common.

None of these symptoms proves by itself that the car has been crashed. They're prompts to look harder, ask directly, or book an inspection before you commit.

Get the car professionally inspected

If the car is worth real money, or you're buying a used car at a distance, a pre-purchase inspection gives you extra certainty. An inspector will find things you'll miss, like poorly repaired bodywork, structural distortion, filler and welding evidence, suspension damage and mechanical or electrical faults.

Here's what it costs in the UK, based on the AA's current prices:

• Basic: £110 for non-members (£99 for members), up to 98 checks, visual with a basic road test
• Comprehensive: £219 to £319 for non-members (£197 to £287 for members), up to 214 checks, full photographic report and a road test of up to 10 miles
• Advanced: £279 to £339 for non-members (£251 to £305 for members), up to 221 checks, video and photo report, brake fluid analysis and an OBD diagnostic overview

Most buyers pick Comprehensive and pay somewhere around £220 to £290. Independent options such as ClickMechanic and mobile inspectors sit lower, roughly £75 to £150, while marque specialists and main dealers sit at the top for complex or exotic cars.

What to do if you bought a car that was damaged without knowing

Discovering previous damage doesn't automatically mean the car is unsafe, or that you were misled. Sellers often don't know their own car's full history, because a repair done two owners ago leaves no trace on the paperwork.

• Start with the facts. Run a history check to find out what was recorded, when it happened and which parts were affected. If you suspect structural, mechanical or safety problems, get the car professionally inspected and ask for a written report.
• Keep everything. The advert and any listing screenshots, messages and statements from the seller, the purchase invoice, the V5C, the history report, dated photographs and the inspection results. If it ever becomes a dispute, documentary evidence is what decides it.
• Your options then depend on who sold you the car. If you bought a faulty car from a dealer in the UK, you are protected under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, including a short-term right to reject within 30 days if the car isn't as described. "Sold as seen" doesn't override that. A dealer who knew about accident or write-off history and stayed quiet may also have committed a misleading omission under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
• Private sales work differently. The Consumer Rights Act doesn't apply, so the car only has to be as described. If the seller made a false statement of fact that persuaded you to buy, such as "it's never been in an accident", that's a different matter.