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Buying a cheap vehicle history check is not always a bargain cautions HPI

28th October 2014 Print
HPI Cartoon Car - Outstanding Finance

A report by BBC Radio’s Newsbeat team, put the spotlight on a unsuspecting car buyer who bought a car that he later discovered had a ‘logbook loan’ against it; the buyer had tried to do the right thing, by conducting what he thought was a HPI Check. The check came back all clear, but all was not as it seemed. After paying £1,000 for the vehicle, the new owner discovered he was about to lose the car and his cash. The vehicle history check he invested in was not a HPI Check and in turn he was not covered by the HPI Guarantee.

HPI, the provider of hpicheck.com has been protecting the used car market from the threat of used car fraud for over 75 years and urges buyers to make sure they’re getting a genuine HPI Check for the best protection.

hpicheck.com Senior Consumer Services Manager, Shane Teskey, “The recent Newsbeat report highlighted the story of an innocent used car buyer, who was duped by a dodgy seller and a vehicle check that didn’t cover all the risks. The unlucky buyer only paid £3 for his check, which ended up costing him £1,000 for a car, which belongs to the loan company. This case highlights the importance of understanding what you are getting for your money and proves that the cheapest checks are rarely the best.

“For just 2% of the asking price of the car the buyer could have benefited from checking his car against our range of databases draws upon information from a wide range of sources including the Police, DVLA, insurance companies, finance houses, industry bodies and garages.”

Unlike many vehicle history checks, the HPI Check - which costs £19.99 - will verify whether a vehicle has outstanding finance against it. Using the most comprehensive vehicle information databases available today, HPI also includes a mileage check against the National Mileage Register as standard, now with over 170 million mileage readings. It will also confirm whether a vehicle is currently recorded as stolen with the police, or has been written-off, making it the best way for consumers to protect themselves from fraudsters looking to make a fast profit.

Crucially, the HPI Check offers a £30,000 Guarantee in the event of the information it provides being inaccurate or incomplete, offering added financial peace of mind to used car buyers. It is the only vehicle history check to cover within its Guarantee ‘cloned cars’.

Shane Teskey concludes, “HPI helps consumers reduce these risks and more by providing vital information about a vehicle’s history. We help used car buyers sort the bargains from the bangers and shop safely. There are lots of imposters out there posing as an HPI Check, but there is only one true HPI Check and you get what you pay for. With so many buyers losing their hard earned cash on vehicles with something to hide, turning to the hpicheck.com is the best way to reduce the risk and shop with confidence.”

The BBC published an apology for any confusion caused by its report which can be found at bbc.co.uk/helpandfeedback/corrections_clarifications

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HPI Cartoon Car - Outstanding Finance