Where 73 Auto’s data comes from

Looked up live by registration number at the moment you run a check — make, model, fuel type, engine size, CO2 emissions, colour, tax status and MOT status. Results are cached for around 24 hours per registration so a repeat lookup of the same car doesn’t re-query DVLA unnecessarily.

Looked up live by registration number — full MOT test history, including test dates, results, mileage readings and recorded defects/advisories. Also cached for around 24 hours per registration.

The published UK VED rate bands are manually entered into 73 Auto as fixed values and applied against the vehicle’s CO2 figure and first-registration date from DVLA. These are official government rates, but 73 Auto is not a live government API integration — the bands are code, not a live feed, so when HMRC/DVLA change them there is a lag until 73 Auto is updated and redeployed with the new figures. For an exact, time-sensitive VED amount, verify directly with DVLA.

Transport for London’s published daily Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) rates are manually entered into 73 Auto as fixed values, applied when a vehicle isn’t charge-compliant and is estimated to be driven in the relevant zone. This is not a live TfL API integration and not a commercial partnership with TfL — it is a manually maintained reference to TfL’s published rates, so a rate change by TfL only takes effect here once 73 Auto is updated and redeployed. For an exact, time-sensitive charge amount, verify directly with TfL.

Anything you enter yourself — postcode, insurance history and preferences, finance agreement details, driving style, annual mileage and how long you plan to keep the car. These narrow the relevant cost estimate and are marked as user-provided in the report, distinct from modelled or default values.

Depreciation, insurance premium, servicing, repairs and maintenance, tyres, fuel/energy consumption, finance cost and roadside cover are all 73 Auto’s own statistical estimates — not live feeds from insurers, garages, fuel retailers or finance providers. See the full breakdown of how each is built on the Methodology page.