Before you buy the car
It passed its MOT. What might it cost you next?
You are about to spend £3,000–£15,000 on a car you have seen once, sold by someone you do not know. Check whether you are buying their next repair bill.
Sam gives you a repair figure in pounds and the faults to raise before you agree a price.
Free
Car details, mileage, score out of 10 and verdict.
£14
Repair risks, costs, viewing checks and haggle lines.
From a real Prognosis
Here is what you get for £14.
Knock £200 off the price and the report has paid for itself fourteen times over.
CP12 ELO
2012 Ford Focus · Petrol · 70,216 miles
Broadly sound, but there are a couple of items that will want money in the next year.
6.3
out of 10
Lights & electrics
HighCars scored this way failed on this component 14.18% of the time.
Matched on 97,179 Ford Focus cars of this model, age and mileage.
Suspension
HighCars scored this way failed on this component 11.06% of the time.
Matched on 79,372 Ford Focus cars of this model, age and mileage.
Tyres
HighCars scored this way failed on this component 5.67% of the time.
Matched on 80,101 Ford Focus cars of this model, age and mileage.
Two lines from the haggle sheet
- Lights and electrics: around £40–£280 to put right. That is a fair ask off the price.
- Suspension: it was advised, then failed 15 months later. Allow £180–£420 if it comes back.
Example from CP12 ELO, generated from its MOT record on 7 September 2026. Scores can change when a new MOT is recorded or the weekly comparison tables are rebuilt.
The numbers behind it
We looked at what happened at the next MOT.
The comparison uses 881.7 million MOT test records covering 138 million vehicles and 194 million matched pairs of consecutive tests. We tested the predictions against 253 million outcomes the model had not seen.
- 881.7m
- MOT tests
- 138m
- vehicles
- 194m
- next-test pairs
Know what this is
Sam is not a history check.
Sam does not check outstanding finance, theft, write-off or insurance history. Use an HPI-style check as well. Sam deals with the repair risk shown by the MOT record.
Questions
Straight answers.
Is this mechanical advice?
No. It is statistical information from MOT records. Get the car inspected before you buy it.
Where do the odds come from?
We match the car's age, mileage, model and component history against consecutive tests in the published DVSA data. We then show what happened at the next MOT. We do not show a figure unless the comparison group contains at least 200 cars.
What is free?
The car details, mileage record, Sam Score out of 10 and headline verdict are free. The £14 Prognosis gives you every component score, outcome rate, likely repair cost, first-year budget, viewing checklist, haggle sheet and full MOT timeline.
Is this an HPI check?
No. Sam does not check finance, theft, write-off or insurance history. Use an HPI-style check as well.
Can Sam tell me the car is sound?
No. Sam can tell you what happened to comparable cars and what this car's MOT record says. He cannot see inside the engine or replace a physical inspection.
Need help with a report? Read the support page.
Check the plate before you make an offer.