MotorCheck Jargon Buster - Glossary Of Terms
Buying a used car is a daunting task and there are many terms that the average consumer may not be familiar with. That's why we've published our 'Jargon Buster'. This helpful Glossary Of Terms will help when buying a Used Car or when performing a Car History Check.
Glossary:
Chassis Number
Cherished Plate transfer
Clocked
Cloning
CO2 Emissions
Combined MPG
Condition alert
Cut 'n' Shut
Date of First Registration
Engine Size CC
Fuel
Hackney
HPI (Hire Purchase Information Ltd.)
Import
Legal Title
Logbook
Marque
Mileage check
MOT
NCT
NVDF
Outstanding finance
Police stolen
Scrapped (End of Life Vehicles)
Taxi
Total Loss
Transmission
Valuation
VIC (Vehicle Identity Check)
VIN
VRM
VRT
Write Off
Chassis Number
The Chassis Number is also known as the VIN or Vehicle Identification Number. See VIN Below.
Cherished Plate transfer
Cherished plate transfer is a common practice in the UK allowing plates to be transferred from one vehicle to another. People change plates to personalise their vehicles, but they can also change them to hide a vehicle's history. MotorCheck includes a check against all prior plates, to identify other interests that may still be associated with the vehicle you are buying.
Clocked
Clocking is the act of reducing the mileage recorded on the odometer of a vehicle. This practice is usually performed in an attempt to achieve a higher sale price for a vehicle. Clocking is an illegal practice in Ireland and prosecutions can result in fines and a jail term. MotorCheck protects buyers from clocking, click here for more.
Cloning
Car cloning is an illegal practice whereby the identity of a legally registered vehicle is duplicated and used to hide the identity of a stolen or salvaged vehicle, which is the same make and model. The practice involves forging the documentation and chassis number or VIN of the vehicle. Cloned vehicles can be very difficult to spot but MotorCheck can assist in performing some basic identity checks. For more information click here.
CO2 Emissions
The number of grams of CO2 the vehicle emits per kilometer. This value can be important for determining the VRT payable in Ireland and in other countries it is often used for determining charges for low emissions zones within cities.
Combined MPG
This is a common fuel efficiency measure for a vehicle. The combined MPG figure is a value given for the number miles per gallon of fuel the vehicle should achieve. The ‘combined’ value is usually the average of the Urban and Extra-Urban figures, as defined by the manufacturer.
Condition alert
MotorCheck has exclusive access to a database of over 3m vehicles which have been recorded as written off or salvaged vehicles which may not have been registered on the official insurer database as such. This alert warns that a vehicle has been subject to an insurance total loss, or 'written-off', because of damage or because it has been stolen and not recovered, or because it has been sold as salvage. For more information click here.
Cut 'n' Shut
Cut 'n' shut is a term used for a car that is usually made up of two different vehicles. Very often both of these vehicles will have been 'write-offs' or ‘salvage’ vehicles, and parts of these vehicles will be welded together to result in one new Cut 'n' Shut vehicle. The practice is illegal and extremely unsafe.
Date of First Registration
This is the date the vehicle was first registered on the NVDF database in Ireland or on the DVLA database in the UK. For Irish registered vehicles that have been imported from the UK, MotorCheck provides both the data of first registration in the UK and the subsequent date of registration in Ireland.
Engine Size CC
The Engine size is the stated engine cubic capacity in cubic centimetres, for example: 1695. This can also be stated in Litres, for example 1.7
Fuel
The type of fuel used to power the vehicle such as petrol, diesel, hybrid, electric, LPG etc.
Hackney
A hackney is a vehicle which is hired on a private hire basis by phone, email, or direct contact at a hackney office rather than being hailed on the street like a Taxi. Ex-Hackney Cabs can be expected to have high mileage. A MotorCheck report will identify if a vehicle was previously or is currently registered as a Hackney Cab. For more information click here.
HPI (Hire Purchase Information Ltd.)
Hire Purchase Information Ltd. or HPI is an Irish business that was established to hold finance data on any motor vehicle that is financed in Ireland via asset finance. All banks and finance houses in Ireland are members of HPI and register any assets on finance on the database. Hire Purchase Information Ltd. should not be confused with HPI in the UK which is a separate business and competitor of MotorCheck. We check if there is finance outstanding on any vehicle thorough access to the HPI database in Ireland and a similar finance database in the UK. For more information click here.
Import
An import is a vehicle which has been registered and used in another country before being brought to Ireland. If a vehicle has been imported from the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) your MotorCheck report will automatically include the previous history from the UK. Vehicles that have been imported to the UK will also be flagged as having been imported to the UK. For more information please click here.
Legal Title
A seller should have legal title in order to be able to sell a vehicle. This usually means that the seller is the owner as shown on the logbook and there is no third party interest in the vehicle, such as asset finance against the vehicle. This is also known as having ‘good title’, ie: the owner has the right to sell the vehicle.
Logbook
In Ireland the Vehicle Licensing Certificate (VLC) or the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC) is also known as the Logbook. The logbook is the official ownership document for a road registered motor vehicle. In the UK the Logbook is the V5 Certificate or V5C. For more information Click here.
Marque
The Marque is another name for the Make of the vehicle, for example: Audi, BMW, Ford, etc.
Mileage check
'Clocking' or reducing the mileage reading on a vehicle is a major problem in both Ireland and the UK. It is not only an illegal act designed to defraud the car buyer but it also has serious road safety implications for both the driver of a clocked vehicle and other road users. MotorCheck manages a mileage database containing over 500 million recorded mileages from both Ireland and the UK. We cross-reference all mileages previously recorded against the vehicle (if any) along with any mileage you provide, and advise you whether a discrepancy has been identified. Click here for more information.
MOT
This is a roadworthiness test taken by vehicles registered in the UK similar to the NCT in Ireland. MotorCheck has access to the MOT database and provides information on the current and previous MOT history for any vehicle registered in the UK including the results of the test and the mileage recorded at time of the test. For more information click here.
NCT
The NCT is the ‘National Car Test’ in Ireland. This test is run on behalf of the Road Safety Authority by a company called Applus. The NCT was introduced in 2000 to test for basic roadworthiness of motor vehicles. For most vehicles the first test becomes due on the fourth anniversary of the vehicle’s first registration and every two years thereafter. When a vehicle reaches ten years old it must take the test annually. It is illegal to drive a vehicle on Irish roads without a valid NCT. Commercial vehicles are required to pass a similar test called the CVRT (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test). A MotorCheck report will confirm if a vehicle has a valid NCT and will show the previous NCT history. Conduct an NCT check here.
NVDF
The NVDF is the National Vehicle and Driver File. This is a database of all vehicles registered in Ireland maintained by the Vehicle Registration Unit within the Department of Transport in Shannon, Co. Clare. MotorCheck is licensed by the Department of Transport to receive a copy of the NVDF database.
Outstanding finance
Approximately 65% of new vehicles sold every year are purchased using some form of finance agreement. If asset finance such as HP, PCP or Lease are used these agreements will grant the finance company an 'interest' (ie. ownership) in the vehicle. A prospective buyer will need to ensure any such finance has been fully cleared before proceeding with a purchase. MotorCheck will check for outstanding finance in both Ireland and the UK. For further information please click here.
Police stolen
MotorCheck provides information from the PNC (Police National Computer) in the UK on vehicles that are recorded as currently stolen. These vehicles remain the property of the individual or organisation from whom they were taken. In Ireland the Garda Siochana database of stolen vehicles is not shared with any third parties currently. MotorCheck manages an independent database of stolen Irish vehicles, however since the Garda database has not been made available we cannot guarantee to cover all stolen Irish vehicles. You should never buy a vehicle which has a stolen flag on a MotorCheck report as you stand to lose it along with the money you paid for it. For further information click here.
Scrapped (End of Life Vehicles)
The chief regulations governing the ELV Sector in Ireland are the European Union (End-of-Life Vehicles) Regulations 2014 as amended. These regulations place specific obligations on vehicle owners, producers and authorised treatment facilties relating to the deposit, treatment and disposal of end-of-life vehicles. These are also known as ‘Scrapped’ vehicles. MotorCheck protects buyers from Scrapped vehicles by including all scrapped records from Ireland and the UK in its reports.
Taxi
A taxi is a vehicle which is used to transport passengers for a fare. A taxi can be hailed on the street, via mobile apps or phone unlike hackney cabs which cannot be hailed on the street Ex-Taxi vehicles can be expected to have high mileage. A MotorCheck report will identify if a vehicle was previously or is currently registered as a Taxi. For more information click here.
Total Loss
Insurers will describe a vehicle as a total loss if they think that it is beyond economic repair, or not financially worth repairing. Normally a vehicle will be declared a total loss if the cost of repairs are in excess of 50-60% of the value of the vehicle at the time of write-off. For more information click here.
Transmission
The type of transmission the vehicle has, for example: manual, automatic, semi-automatic etc.
Valuation
A market valuation will help you determine if the vehicle you want to buy is good value for money. The valuation, where available, is based on the vehicle being in good condition for its age, and the mileage supplied by you is accurate. If you have not provided a mileage, it is estimated based on the age and fuel type of the car. If no valuation is provided it is because we do not currently hold this data. For further information click here.
VIC (Vehicle Identity Check)
A VIC marker is a flag that a vehicle has undertaken a Vehicle Identity Check (VIC). A VIC was required in the UK if you wanted to put a previously Category C wrte-off back on the road after repairs. The VIC program was discontinued in the UK in October 2015. MotorCheck has access to VIC markers via the DVLA database and still flags if a vehicle has undertaken a VIC in the past.
VIN
The VIN is a unique Vehicle Identification Number and is also known as the Chassis Number. A VIN is usually 17 characters long and conforms to an internationally agreed standard (ISO 3779:1983). There are exceptions to this, particularly amongst Japanese imports and older vehicles. A VIN can be confirmed within your MotorCheck report. For more information click here.
VRM
The VRM is the Vehicle Registration Mark, also known as the Registration or Number Plate for the vehicle.
VRT
VRT or Vehicle Registration Tax is an amount which must be paid upon the first registration of any new or used vehicle in Ireland. The tax is calculated based on the Co2 emissions and current Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) of the vehicle as determined by the Revenue Commissioners. MotorCheck provides a Free VRT Calculator here.
Write Off
A Write-off is a vehicle that has been damaged beyond economic repair or is the subject of a theft. There are various categories of write-off. Insurance companies in both Ireland and the UK normally adhere to the ABI code of practice when assigning a category of write-off. Those categories can be A, B, C, D, S, N, Y, R. For more information on write-offs click here.
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Irish & UK vehicles accepted
Buy your next car with confidence
Get your FREE Car identity Check today
Irish & UK vehicles accepted