CarHistory review 2026 — is $40 worth it?

What is CarHistory?

CarHistory is one of the oldest vehicle history report services in Australia. It's owned and operated by Equifax Australasia — the same company behind one of Australia's three major credit bureaus. Equifax acquired the CarHistory brand when it purchased Veda Advantage in 2016.

The service provides vehicle history reports that draw on government databases including NEVDIS (the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System) and the PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register). These are the same databases every vehicle history provider in Australia accesses.

What does a CarHistory report include?

A full CarHistory report covers the core checks most buyers are looking for. Here is what you get:

• PPSR check — shows whether the vehicle has outstanding finance or security interests registered against it
• Stolen vehicle check — cross-references state police databases for theft reports
• Write-off history — flags statutory and repairable write-offs recorded across states and territories
• Valuation estimate — a guide price based on Glass's Guide data
• Odometer readings — historical odometer records where available

These are standard inclusions across most vehicle history providers. The data originates from the same government sources regardless of which service you use.

CarHistory pricing in 2026

CarHistory offers two report tiers:

• Basic Report — around $21.98. Covers PPSR, stolen, and write-off checks.
• Full Report — around $39.95. Adds valuation estimates and odometer history.

At $39.95, CarHistory's full report is among the most expensive vehicle history products in Australia. For context, a direct PPSR search from the government costs $2, though that only covers finance and security interests — not stolen checks, write-offs, or valuations.

The trust problem

CarHistory has a 1.1-star rating on Product Review from over 300 reviews. That is one of the lowest ratings for any vehicle history service in Australia.

The most common complaints from reviewers fall into a few categories:

• Data accuracy concerns — some reviewers report receiving reports with incorrect or incomplete information
• Customer service issues — difficulty reaching support and slow response times
• Refund difficulties — reviewers describe challenges getting refunds when reports contain errors

To be fair, negative experiences are over-represented in online reviews. People who get a clean report and move on with their purchase rarely leave a review. But a 1.1-star average across 300+ reviews is unusually low and worth noting when spending $40.

How CarHistory compares to alternatives

Here is an objective comparison of what you get at each price point. All providers listed access the same NEVDIS and PPSR databases for core vehicle data.

Government PPSR search — $2

The cheapest option. A direct PPSR search tells you whether finance or security interests are registered against a vehicle. It does not include stolen checks, write-off history, valuations, or safety recalls. Good for a quick finance check, but leaves major gaps.

RegoVerify Quick Check — $4.99

Covers the basics: PPSR status, write-off history, stolen vehicle check, and insurance claim repair flag. No valuation or detailed claim history. A solid option if you just need to verify a vehicle is clear before negotiating further.

RegoVerify Full Report — $14.99

Includes everything in the Quick Check plus Glass's Guide valuation, live market valuation via AutoGrab (for cars and motorbikes), detailed insurance claim repair history via MotorWeb, safety recall data, and a proprietary Vehicle Risk Score that summarises all findings into a single rating. For more on what data sources are used, see the data sources page.

CarHistory Full Report — $39.95

Covers PPSR, stolen, write-off, valuation estimate, and odometer history. Does not include live market valuation, insurance claim repair history, or a risk score. The core government data is the same as other providers.

The verdict: is CarHistory worth $40?

CarHistory has brand recognition and a long track record in the Australian market. It was one of the first vehicle history services available to consumers, and the Equifax name carries weight in data and credit reporting.

But brand history does not change the fundamentals. The core data in every vehicle history report — PPSR registrations, stolen vehicle flags, write-off records — comes from the same government databases. NEVDIS does not charge more for data sent to CarHistory than it charges any other provider.

At $39.95, CarHistory is roughly 2.5x more expensive than alternatives that include additional data sources like live market valuations and insurance claim history. The 1.1-star rating on Product Review — while not the full picture — suggests a pattern of customer dissatisfaction that is hard to ignore.

For most buyers, the practical question is simple: does paying $40 get you meaningfully better data than paying $5 or $15? Based on what each service includes, the answer is no. The government data is the same. The difference is what gets layered on top — and at $39.95, CarHistory includes fewer extras than cheaper competitors.

If you want a quick check before committing to a vehicle, a $4.99 report covers the essentials. If you want everything including live valuations and claim history, $14.99 gets you there. Either way, the vehicle check takes under 60 seconds.