Car Emissions Check

Knowing your car’s emissions can help you save money, ensure you’re compliant and reduce the impact you have on the environment. If you want to check your current car’s CO₂ emissions or need to get the full picture on a vehicle you’re thinking of buying, an hpi check® can help.

Discover key information, including fuel consumption and average fuel cost

Gain insights to help ensure your car is ULEZ and CAZ compliant

Comprehensive, accurate data backed by our £30,000 guarantee

Support provided by our friendly customer support team seven days a week

Why run a car emissions check?

There are several reasons why information from a car emissions check is important:

Protecting the environment

When you start the engine in your petrol or diesel car, it burns fossil fuels and releases emissions into the air. These mostly consist of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is one of the main greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change.

Carbon monoxide, which is a major air pollutant, and nitrogen oxides, which can contribute to smog, are examples of other harmful exhaust gases that are burned when we start our engines.

By knowing your vehicle’s emissions, you can get an idea of how much of an impact it’s having on the environment and choose a more efficient car.

Working out road tax costs

As well as reducing the impact on the environment, a more fuel-efficient car can mean you spend less on road tax – also known as Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). You can use your car emission check report to see where the vehicle falls on the VED system.

While electric cars are the most efficient option, there are petrol cars that have low emissions and can save you money on tax. It’s worth noting, however, that tax rates now affect electric, zero and low-emission cars, vans and motorcycles registered on or after 1 April 2025. Even with these low emissions, vehicle owners must pay the lowest first-year rate of vehicle tax (£10) and the standard £195 rate from the second payment onwards.

Knowing if you need to pay a charge

If you live in certain locations in the UK, you may also have to budget for other costs related to your vehicle. These are charges that apply to vehicles that do not meet emissions standards in clean air zones (CAZ) in England or low emission zones (LEZ) in Scotland.

The places designated as CAZs are:

✔ Bath

✔ Birmingham

✔ Bradford

✔ Bristol

✔ Portsmouth

✔ Sheffield

✔ Tyneside – Newcastle and Gateshead

There is a separate designation for London. The capital is an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) and this is managed by Transport for London. It’s designed to reduce pollution and emissions in the city.

The rules in each area vary, so you’ll need to check that your vehicle meets the required standards to avoid being charged. This usually means checking your car emissions by reg against the criteria set for each CAZ and LEZ area.

Getting a fuel cost estimate

Your car emission check report will also give you an estimated cost for your fuel per 12,000 miles. This is a guide price that you can use to compare with the economy of other vehicles. This can be particularly useful if you’re running an hpi check® on multiple cars, as you can find the most cost-effective one for your budget.

By running a car emissions check, you can help protect the environment and save money in the long run. It applies to different scenarios. Perhaps you're shopping around for a newer model or working out how efficient your current motor is. Wherever you are in your car buying journey, this step in the hpi check® process can go a long way towards helping motorists make their choice when it comes to the car they want to drive.

What's included in a car emission check?

You’ll be given the information you need to understand your current car or the one you’re thinking of buying. With an hpi check®, you’ll receive:

✔ VED cost for 12 months

✔ Fuel consumption breakdown

✔ Estimated fuel cost: An average cost calculated by using the combined drive cycle (town centre and motorway) and average fuel price.

✔ Vehicle info: An at-a-glance look at details such as the make, model and engine capacity, plus the fuel type, transmission and date it was registered.

✔ The car emissions check is part of a full hpi check®, which also features:

✔ The number plate history

✔ Full vehicle identification: Confirm the vehicle matches official records by cross-checking its VIN, engine number and V5C log book date.

✔ Additional vehicle checks: Outstanding finance, the number of previous owners, write-off information, and more.

“Saw the car I wanted, checked the car through your website, and how relieved I was that I did check its history. It was an insurance write-off, and the mileage was incorrect. Saved me from a very bad situation, and having a conman making my life a misery. Money well spent. Thanks”

“We used HPI check because we trusted their information on a used car that we wanted to purchase. In the world of used cars this proved to be invaluable advice, we would recommend anyone thinking of buying a quality used car to use this service.”

“Using HPI Check is, for me, an essential part of buying a car. Unlike some other aspects of buying a car, this one is straightforward, quick, and given the potential should things not be in order, it is excellent value for money. It also means that I trust the many other offers that come through HPI Check. Excellent!”

“Informative and accurate. Good service.”

How much does it cost to check my car's emissions?

A car emission check and report are included as part of our full hpi check®. This single check costs £19.99. The report covers more than 80 key data points about the vehicle.

If you’ve found more than one car that you’d like to get information on, choose our MultiCheck package. You can check three cars for £29.97 – a saving of 50%.

We also offer a basic vehicle check for £9.99, but this does not include a check on the car’s CO₂ emissions.

Why choose an hpi check® for car emission details?

Whether you’re thinking of buying a car, motorbike or van, an hpi check® offers industry-leading protection:

✔ Direct access to DVLA data: We’re the only provider of the authentic hpi check®, and we cross-reference DVLA records to provide accurate data.

✔ £30,000 data guarantee: We have a guarantee in place to protect you from financial loss if any of our information is incorrect.

✔ Trusted by millions: We have over 80 years‘ experience in providing motorists with essential information.

✔ UK-based support team: Contact us to get expert assistance – our team is here for you seven days a week.