Questions, answered.
What 73 Auto is, who it's for and who runs it.
About 73 Auto
What is 73 Auto?
73 Auto is an AI-powered Total Cost of Ownership platform for UK vehicles. It helps drivers understand the real cost of owning, comparing and running a vehicle before they buy, finance or commit.
What does 73 Auto do?
73 Auto turns a UK vehicle registration number into a clear ownership cost report. The report can include vehicle identity, technical data, MOT signals, road tax, mileage signals, depreciation estimates, insurance estimates, fuel or energy costs, finance inputs, servicing, repairs, tyres, roadside assistance and urban driving costs.
Who is 73 Auto for?
73 Auto is built for car buyers, current owners, comparison shoppers and automotive businesses that want to understand the real cost of owning a UK vehicle.
Is 73 Auto a car marketplace?
No
It is a vehicle cost intelligence platform rather than a traditional marketplace: it helps users understand whether a car may be cheap, expensive or risky to own.
Does 73 Auto sell cars directly?
No
The product is focused on TCO reports, vehicle comparison, saved calculations, PDF exports and business tools.
Is 73 Auto only for people who know a lot about cars?
No
73 Auto is designed to make complex car ownership costs easier to understand for normal drivers, while still giving useful data to dealers and automotive professionals.
What makes 73 Auto different from a listing website?
Listing websites mostly help users find cars and compare asking prices. 73 Auto helps users understand what those cars may cost to own, run, finance, maintain and compare over time.
Who operates 73 Auto, and is it affiliated with DVLA, DVSA or TfL?
73 Auto is operated by 73 Auto Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. It uses official UK government data sources (DVLA, DVSA) and published rates (VED, TfL ULEZ/Congestion Charge).
Total cost of ownership
What is Total Cost of Ownership?
Total Cost of Ownership, or TCO, is the full estimated cost of owning a vehicle over time. It includes more than the purchase price or monthly payment, such as depreciation, insurance, tax, fuel or energy, servicing, repairs, tyres, finance and other running costs.
Why does Total Cost of Ownership matter?
A car can look affordable at the point of purchase but become expensive over the ownership period. TCO helps users see the real financial picture before they buy or compare vehicles.
Why is the monthly payment not the real cost of a car?
A monthly payment only shows one part of the cost. It may hide depreciation, insurance, servicing, tax, fuel, finance interest and the value lost when the car is later sold.
What costs are included in a 73 Auto TCO report?
A 73 Auto report can include depreciation, urban costs, fuel or energy, insurance, Service & MOT, maintenance and repairs, VED, tyres, roadside assistance and finance or leasing inputs.
Does 73 Auto show monthly and yearly costs?
Yes
73 Auto can show Total Cost of Ownership by month, by year and across the selected ownership period.
Can I change the ownership assumptions?
Yes
Users can adjust assumptions such as annual mileage, postcode, driving style, payment type, usage pattern, insurance details, finance terms, service preference and fuel price override.
What is the monthly payment trap?
The monthly payment trap is when buyers judge a car mainly by the monthly payment instead of the full cost of ownership. 73 Auto helps reveal the costs that sit behind the monthly number.
Can two cars with the same monthly payment cost very different amounts?
Yes
Two cars can have similar monthly payments but very different depreciation, insurance, tax, fuel, servicing or finance costs. 73 Auto is built to make those differences visible.
Vehicle data, MOT and risk signals
What vehicle information does 73 Auto show?
73 Auto can show vehicle identity, make, model, year, registration background, colour, engine data, fuel type, CO2 emissions, Euro status, type approval, wheelplan and other technical information where available.
Does 73 Auto use DVLA and DVSA data?
Yes
73 Auto uses official UK vehicle records, including DVLA and DVSA data where available.
Does 73 Auto show road tax information?
Yes
73 Auto can show road tax status, tax due date, days until tax is due, VED estimates and related legal status information.
Does 73 Auto show MOT information?
Yes
73 Auto can show MOT status, MOT expiry date, last MOT test date, total MOT tests, passed MOTs, failed MOTs, MOT test history and MOT-based condition signals where data is available.
What are condition signals?
Condition signals are MOT-based indicators that help users understand potential vehicle condition patterns. They are indicators only and are not guarantees of the vehicle condition.
What are risk flags?
Risk flags are potential warning signals generated from official records. They may highlight issues such as expired MOT status or unavailable MOT history and should be verified before purchase.
Does 73 Auto replace a professional vehicle inspection?
No
73 Auto does not replace a physical inspection, mechanic review or professional vehicle check. It helps highlight cost and data signals, but users should verify critical decisions independently.
Does 73 Auto check whether a car is stolen or has outstanding finance?
73 Auto should not be treated as a stolen vehicle check or outstanding finance check unless a dedicated feature says otherwise. Users should use specialist checks for those risks before buying a vehicle.
Depreciation and value
Does 73 Auto calculate depreciation?
Yes
73 Auto includes depreciation as part of the Total Cost of Ownership breakdown.
Does 73 Auto guarantee future resale value?
No
73 Auto provides depreciation estimates and ownership cost projections that help users understand how much value a vehicle may lose over time.
Does 73 Auto show a future resale value?
73 Auto focuses on depreciation and ownership cost estimates rather than guaranteeing a specific future resale price. Users can use depreciation figures to better understand possible value loss.
Why is depreciation important?
Depreciation is often one of the largest hidden costs of owning a car. It may not be visible every month, but it becomes real when the car is sold or traded in.
Does 73 Auto use market pricing data?
73 Auto uses official vehicle data and is expanding its market intelligence with historical pricing and listing signals. These signals help improve depreciation and ownership cost modelling over time.
Is 73 Auto a car valuation tool?
73 Auto is not just a valuation tool. It focuses on the real cost of owning a vehicle, including depreciation, running costs, finance, tax, MOT, insurance and other ownership factors.
Insurance, finance and running costs
Does 73 Auto estimate insurance costs?
Yes
73 Auto includes insurance estimates and allows users to improve accuracy by adding optional insurance details such as age, no claims bonus, claims history, licence type, parking, occupation, cover type and actual insurance quote.
Can I add my own insurance quote?
Yes
Users can enter an actual annual insurance quote to make the ownership cost estimate more relevant to their situation.
Does 73 Auto include finance and leasing?
Yes
73 Auto includes finance and leasing inputs. Users can enter details such as credit profile, deposit, term, APR, monthly quote, final or balloon payment and PCP end plan.
Can 73 Auto help me compare cash, finance and leasing?
73 Auto can support different payment assumptions, including cash purchase and finance or leasing inputs. This helps users understand how payment structure affects ownership cost.
Does 73 Auto include fuel or energy costs?
Yes
73 Auto includes fuel or energy cost estimates and allows users to override the fuel price if they want to use their own assumption.
Does driving style affect the estimate?
Yes
Driving style can affect fuel consumption and tyre wear estimates. Users can choose options such as calm, normal or aggressive driving style.
Does postcode affect the estimate?
Yes
Postcode can be used for urban cost calculations, including assumptions connected to Congestion Charge, ULEZ and parking where relevant.
Does 73 Auto include tyres, service and repairs?
Yes
73 Auto can include tyres, Service & MOT, maintenance and repairs as separate cost categories in the ownership cost breakdown.
Compare and history
Can I compare vehicles in 73 Auto?
Yes
73 Auto lets users compare up to four vehicles side by side by Total Cost of Ownership and individual cost categories.
What does the Compare page show?
The Compare page can show total annual TCO, VED, insurance, fuel, Service & MOT, depreciation, maintenance, finance or leasing, tyres, urban costs and roadside assistance across selected vehicles.
Can 73 Auto show which car costs less to own?
Yes
The Compare page can highlight savings between vehicles, for example showing how much one car may save per year compared with other selected vehicles.
Are my previous calculations saved?
Yes
73 Auto saves completed calculations to the user account, so users can revisit reports and add vehicles to comparison.
Can I export a report?
Yes
73 Auto supports PDF export for TCO reports.
Pricing and credits
How much does 73 Auto cost?
You pay per report: a Single Check is £5.99, and packs of 5 (£22.49) and 10 (£39.99) bring the price per check down to £4.50 and £4.00. No subscription is needed, and pack credits never expire.
How long does a check take?
Usually 20 to 30 seconds. Enter a registration or VIN and the full report is built from the official records and our cost models while you wait. If an official source is slow to respond, it can take a little longer.
What is included in Single Check?
Single Check costs £5.99 one-off and includes one full TCO check, saved to the user account, with PDF export.
What is included in Value Pack?
Value Pack costs £22.49 one-off and includes five TCO checks, account saving, no expiry and PDF export.
What is included in Big Value Pack?
Big Value Pack costs £39.99 one-off and includes ten TCO checks, account saving, no expiry and PDF export.
Do credits expire?
No
Credits from one-off packs stay in the user account until they are used.
Is billing secure?
Yes
Billing is powered by Stripe, with secure checkout and VAT shown at checkout.
Business and API
Does 73 Auto offer business or enterprise terms?
Yes
Businesses that need invoicing, multi-seat access or higher monthly volume can talk to us about Enterprise terms. Get in touch through the Contact page.
What is the Enterprise plan?
Enterprise is for fleets, platforms, marketplaces and other businesses with higher volume. Terms are agreed with you and can include invoicing, multi-seat access, higher monthly volume, a dedicated account manager and a custom SLA.
Does 73 Auto offer API access?
API access and white-label options are not currently available as standard self-service features. Enterprise customers can contact the team to discuss custom integrations and future availability.
Does 73 Auto offer white-label options?
API access and white-label options are not currently available as standard self-service features. Enterprise customers can contact the team to discuss custom integrations and future availability.
Accuracy and limitations
Are 73 Auto calculations guaranteed?
No
73 Auto provides modelled estimates based on available data and user assumptions. Actual costs can change because of market conditions, mileage, vehicle condition, driving style, finance terms, insurance quotes and other factors.
Is 73 Auto financial advice?
No
73 Auto is a car ownership intelligence tool designed to support smarter ownership decisions.
Should I rely only on 73 Auto before buying a vehicle?
No
Users should use 73 Auto alongside proper inspections, vehicle history checks, finance checks, test drives and professional advice where needed.
Why do some results show low confidence?
Some cost categories may show lower confidence when there is limited data or when the estimate depends heavily on assumptions. Users can improve accuracy by adding more personal details or real quotes.
How do I report an error or inaccuracy on 73 Auto?
Email support with the page URL (or vehicle registration, for a report-specific issue) and the specific figure or claim you believe is wrong. See Corrections for exactly what to include and what happens next.
All figures are modelled estimates, not guarantees. 73 Auto is not financial advice; it is car ownership decision support, built on official UK vehicle data sources. Ready to try it? Calculate your first TCO report, compare vehicles or view pricing.
