Frequently Asked Questions

You enter the registration number of a car you once owned. We look up the vehicle's history, including any previous registrations it has been on, and begin monitoring UK marketplaces for matches. We also track MOT, tax, and keeper changes through DVLA data so we can spot early signs that a car is being prepped for sale. When we find a match, a member of our team verifies it before you receive an email alert.

Private plates move between vehicles all the time. When you add a car, we look up all the previous registrations it has been on using DVLA-linked vehicle data. If the plate changes in the future, we can still identify the car by cross-referencing its history. This is our core advantage over simple saved searches that only match a single registration.

We currently scan AutoTrader, eBay Motors, and PistonHeads on a daily rotation. Every match is verified by a member of our team before you receive an alert, so there are no false alarms. We are actively working on adding more marketplaces and plan to expand coverage over time.

Our system scans marketplaces daily. When a verified match is found, you receive an email alert typically within hours of the listing going live. For early signals like a sudden MOT pass or SORN being lifted, we notify you as soon as the data updates.

Yes. We store your vehicle registrations securely and never share your personal data with third parties. We only use registration numbers to monitor publicly available marketplace listings and DVLA data. See our privacy policy for full details.

Absolutely, that is exactly what Previous Keeper is designed for. You track cars you used to own but have since sold. Enter the registration of any car that meant something to you and we will watch it for you.

When you add a vehicle, we use DVLA-linked data to retrieve the car's full registration history, including any previous plates it has been on, as well as its VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). We use this information to match the car across marketplace listings even if the current registration is different from the one you remember. Marketplaces do not support searching by VIN directly, so we cross-reference multiple data points to identify the right vehicle.

Plans start from just £3.99 per month (or £29 per year) for a single vehicle. Our Garage plan covers up to 5 cars, and the Collector plan tracks up to 15. Less than half a tank of fuel to keep the memory alive.

No. Your tracking is completely private. The current owner has no way to know that a previous keeper is monitoring their vehicle. We only use publicly available data to watch for listings and DVLA changes.

Owner Check is a separate feature for current vehicle owners. If you currently own a car and want to know whether any previous keepers are looking for it, you can enter your registration on the Owner Check page. If there is a match, you can choose to connect with them directly. This is completely opt-in and does not reveal any tracking information unless the current owner actively checks.

Yes. You can remove a vehicle from your garage at any time. Each plan includes a limited number of swaps per billing period (1 swap on Single, 2 on Garage, 3 on Collector). After removing a car, there is a 30-day cooldown before that slot becomes available again. This prevents abuse while still giving you flexibility to update which cars you are tracking.

If DVLA records show the vehicle has been scrapped or exported, we will let you know. No point watching for a listing that will never appear. You can then remove it from your garage and free up a tracking slot.

Currently, Previous Keeper only tracks vehicles registered in the UK and listed on UK marketplaces. We use DVLA data for MOT, tax, and keeper history, which is specific to the UK. International expansion is something we are exploring for the future.

You can cancel anytime from your account settings page. Your tracking will remain active until the end of your current billing period. No exit fees, no hassle.