Register for API access via the DVSA API portal (available through the UK government digital services platform); an API key is required and access is granted to approved businesses and developers
Authenticate requests by including your API key as a header (the specific header name is provided in your approval documentation); requests without a valid key are rejected
Query MOT history by registration number: GET https://history.mot-data.dvsa.gov.uk/v1/trade/vehicles/registration/{registration} — the registration should be URL-encoded and submitted without spaces
Parse the JSON response which contains an array of MOT test records; each record includes the test date, result (pass/fail), odometer reading, expiry date, and arrays of failure reasons and advisories with their text descriptions
To look up by VIN instead of registration, use the VIN-based endpoint path variant if available in the current API version, or use the registration lookup after resolving the registration from the VIN via a separate DVLA lookup
Known gotchas
MOT history is only available for vehicles tested in Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales); Northern Ireland uses a different testing system (MVT via DVA) and is not included in DVSA data
The API returns data for the past several years of MOT tests; very old tests may not appear in the digital record if they predate the digitization of MOT records
Mileage recorded at MOT is self-reported by the tester and not independently verified; sudden mileage drops between tests are a clue to potential odometer fraud but should be flagged as advisory, not definitive
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp