Used car check · New Zealand (Australia by make & model)
Check a used car before you buy it
A used car check in New Zealand used to mean two separate things: a history report from a data site, and a mechanic’s inspection on the one car you were serious about. KickTyres does the first, and gets you most of the way through the second, online, on every car you are looking at — for $13.49 to $24.90 a car.
What it is, in one sentence
KickTyres is an online used-car check for buyers in New Zealand and Australia: it combines the car’s official history, the faults that exact make, model, generation and engine are documented for, a guided inspection you do at the car, AI photo analysis, a market valuation and a negotiation figure in one report. It is an assistant for buyers. It does not replace a professional mechanical inspection on the car you decide to buy.
What you get on a used car check
Type a New Zealand plate and the free lookup names the car — make, model, year — straight off the register. From there:
The history
- Vehicle details, registration and WoF status
- Stolen and write-off checks
- Money owing (finance / PPSR)
- Ownership history, and import or re-registration history
- The full odometer record, so a wound-back reading shows up as a reading that goes backwards
- An official market valuation for the vehicle
The inspection
- Every fault documented for that exact make, model, generation and engine, with what it costs to fix at NZ workshop rates
- A guided checklist for that car: where to look, what failure looks like, what to ask the seller
- AI photo analysis: add photos, the AI flags damage cues, you confirm each one
- A condition score, a repair estimate, and a negotiation figure grounded in what you actually found
How the online inspection works
01Identify the car
02Walk the car
03Decide with numbers
Plan for about thirty minutes at the car. The history data is available as soon as you have paid; the inspection takes as long as your walk-around does, and the report is ready when you finish. The three steps in detail.
Why model-specific checks matter
A generic “what to check on a used car” list tells you to look for rust and check the oil. It does not tell you that a 2.8-litre diesel Hilux driven mostly around town needs its DPF checked, or that a particular BMW diesel rattles on a cold start when its timing-chain tensioner is wearing. KickTyres keeps a researched, verified catalogue of documented faults — 14,000+ across the makes and models common on NZ roads, published free on the car faults pages — and only shows you the ones that apply to the generation and engine in front of you. The AI never invents a fault; it only surfaces what is in the verified record.
What the report contains
The same sections you can read in full on the sample report: an executive summary, alerts and flags (money owing, stolen, write-off), the known issues for the model, servicing due, the odometer record, the vehicle timeline, ownership and security, and full specifications including registration and WoF status. With the inspection added: the checklist results, the AI photo findings you confirmed, the condition score, the repair estimate, the valuation and the negotiation figure.
What it can and cannot tell you
It can tell you
What the official record says about this car; whether money is owing on it; whether the odometer history is consistent; what this exact model and engine are documented to fail at, and what that costs; what to look for, in what order; what a photo of a panel, tyre or engine bay suggests; roughly what the car is worth; and what to offer.
It cannot tell you
What a mechanic finds in person — underbody rust, suspension play, a compression test, a scan-tool session, a proper road test by someone who does it every day. It cannot verify a seller’s story, and it cannot see a fault that nobody has documented. Registry data is only as good as what was recorded: odometer history comes from the readings taken at inspections, so a car with a long gap between readings has a long gap in its record. Where the data does not exist, the report says so instead of guessing. That is a design rule, not a disclaimer.
When you still need a mechanic
On the car you decide to buy — especially a private sale, anything over about $10,000, a diesel ute, a European car, or a hybrid or EV where the battery is the price — book a professional pre-purchase inspection. In New Zealand that is roughly $129–$280 from a mobile mechanic or independent garage, or $199–$229 at the AA (what a mechanic’s inspection costs, city by city). The point of KickTyres is that you no longer pay that four times over: you check every car on the shortlist online, walk away from the ones that fail, negotiate on the one you like, and put the mechanic on that one.
How the valuation works
The valuation is an official market figure for that vehicle from the data behind the history report, shown as a range with the average, and it is part of the paid report rather than the free lookup. The negotiation figure is different: it starts from the valuation and subtracts the repair exposure for what you actually found on the car.
How the AI photo analysis works
You take the photos. The AI looks for damage cues — panel gaps, paint that suggests a repair, corrosion, worn tyres, fluid leaks, the things that show up in a photograph — and flags them for you to confirm or dismiss at the car. Every finding in the report is one you confirmed. It is an extra pair of eyes, not an inspector.
Which vehicles it covers
- New Zealand: any NZ-registered vehicle for the history report (plate lookup is free). Documented faults and model-specific checklists are published for 548 models across 46 makes — from the Corolla, Aqua, Swift and Fit to the Hilux, Ranger, RAV4 and Outlander — with the wider catalogue covering 63 makes and 14,821 faults. If a model or engine is not documented, the report says so rather than inventing faults.
- Australia: enter the make and model yourself; the documented faults, guided inspection, AI photo analysis and valuation work the same, at the same NZD prices. Automatic plate lookup for Australian vehicles is not available yet, and the NZ register history (ownership, odometer, money owing, WoF) applies to NZ-registered vehicles.
What it costs, and what happens if it doesn’t work
- Full History Info$13.49
- Full History Report + Inspection$24.90
- Inspection Only$14.90
One-off payments, no account needed to look up a car, no subscription. If a report fails to generate or there is a genuine problem with it, you are refunded — see the refunds policy. Full pricing →
Start a check
Enter the plate, or the make and model, below. Vehicle lookup is free and you choose the product on the next screen.
Questions buyers ask
Where can I get a used car report in New Zealand?
Three places. The NZ Transport Agency gives you the basics free: rego, WoF and road user charges expiry dates. The paid report sites sell a fuller report with ownership, odometer and money-owing data. KickTyres sells the same kind of history report for $13.49 and, for $24.90, adds what none of them do: the documented faults for that exact model and a guided inspection of the car itself.
Is there an online car inspection in New Zealand?
Yes. KickTyres is an online pre-purchase check: it tells you what that exact make, model and engine are known to fail at, walks you through checking each one at the car, analyses your photos for damage cues, and produces a report with a valuation and a negotiation figure. It is done by you, guided by the software, rather than by a mechanic, so it is a first check for every car on the shortlist, not a replacement for a mechanical inspection on the one you buy.
What is the best way to check a used car before buying in NZ?
In this order: run the history (money owing, stolen, odometer, ownership) before you drive anywhere; read the documented faults for that model so you know what to look for; inspect the car with a checklist built for it and photograph anything doubtful; get a valuation and negotiate on what you found; then, if you are going ahead, book a professional mechanical inspection. KickTyres does the first four steps in one report.
Can I check a car online before viewing it?
Yes. With the plate, or the make and model from the listing, you get the history and the model’s documented faults before you leave home. The inspection checklist is for when you are at the car.
Does an online check replace a mechanic?
No. It replaces the guesswork on the cars you look at before the mechanic, and it tells you which car is worth the mechanic’s fee.
Does KickTyres work in Australia?
Yes, by make and model, at the same NZD prices. Australian plate lookup is not available yet, so you enter the vehicle details yourself; the faults, checklist, photo analysis and valuation work the same.