Autoza UK

Answer a buyer's specific questions about ONE car listed on Autoza — previous owners, service history, warranty, number of keys, previous use, and the core specification. Every answer comes from the dealer's own listing and says so: it is what the dealer states, not an independent inspection. A question the listing does not answer comes back as unknown, which does not mean no. Pass the listing URL or id returned by search_used_cars. If the car has sold or been withdrawn, the response is status no_longer_for_sale with no answers. When the selling dealer has opted in to showing MOT history, the response also carries mot_history: that car's official DVSA MOT test record.

ask_about_car

Calculate annual UK vehicle tax (VED / road tax) for a car. Handles all three UK systems: cars first registered before 1 March 2001 (taxed on engine size, so engine_size_cc is required), 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 (CO2 bands £20–£790, so co2 is required), and from 1 April 2017 (flat standard rate). Also works out the Expensive Car Supplement: over £40,000 list price when new for petrol, diesel and alternative fuel; over £50,000 for a zero-emission car first registered on or after 1 April 2025; and none for a zero-emission car first registered before 1 April 2025, whatever it listed for. The boundaries are dates, so registration_date gives an exact answer where the year alone is ambiguous. If an input the car's tax system needs is missing, the tool returns an error naming it rather than a figure. Use for questions about UK car tax, road tax or VED.

calculate_car_tax

Check whether a car is compliant with UK clean air zones (London ULEZ, Bristol, Birmingham) and what it would cost to drive into them. Returns compliance, the daily charge per zone, and estimated annual cost. Only 3 of the 8 English charging zones charge private cars; Scotland uses Low Emission Zones, which issue penalties rather than a daily charge. Needs the registration year and fuel (the year is not needed for an electric car); a missing input returns an error naming it. Use for ULEZ, CAZ, clean air zone or emissions-charge questions.

check_clean_air_zone

Odds that a used car passes its next MOT first time, for its age and mileage, counted from DVSA's own MOT test records with odometer readings (Great Britain) — and how those odds move one mileage band lower or higher for a car of the same age. Pass make and model as well: for the models we cover it adds that model's pass rate at the same mileage, compared fairly against cars of the same ages, and it says plainly when a model is not covered rather than guessing. It is a rate across the tested fleet, not a prediction for one car. Use when someone asks whether a high-mileage car will pass its MOT, how much mileage matters for an MOT, or whether a particular used car is likely to need MOT work.

mot_outlook

Estimate what a specific vehicle on Autoza costs to run for a year in GBP, with a range wherever a figure is modelled. A car gets road tax, fuel, servicing, the MOT test fee and insurance. A motorcycle or van in Great Britain gets road tax and the MOT only: fuel, servicing and insurance are not estimated, so its total is partial and not_included says why. Caravans, motorhomes and trucks, and motorcycles and vans in Northern Ireland, come back with available false, because their rates and test differ. Pass the listing URL or id returned by search_used_cars. A component that cannot be worked out is left out of the total rather than guessed. A vehicle that has sold or been withdrawn comes back as status no_longer_for_sale rather than an estimate.

estimate_running_costs

Get current UK used-car asking-price guidance from live dealer listings on Autoza — typical (median), lowest and highest asking price, optionally narrowed to a make or model. Where too few cars match to give a fair figure it says so instead of answering. Cars unless vehicle_type asks for vans, motorcycles or other stock. Prices are GBP and reflect what dealers are asking right now, not trade or valuation estimates. Use to answer "what do X cost used in the UK" or to sanity-check whether an advertised price is reasonable.

get_uk_price_guide

Get known common faults, best and worst model years, and real DVSA MOT first-time pass rates for a specific used car model in the UK. The MOT pass rates are DVSA Class 4 test records for Great Britain only, age-matched against the national average; a pass with rectification at the station counts as a first-time pass (DVSA's own initial-test measure counts it as a failure and reports a lower figure). Each guide covers the generations named in its generation field; pass registration_year to get that year's DVSA pass rate and to be told when the car is from a generation the guide does not describe. Call with no model_slug to list the models covered. Use when someone asks whether a specific model is reliable, what goes wrong with it, which year to buy or avoid, or what to check before buying one.

get_model_reliability

Search live used cars for sale from UK dealers on Autoza, with current asking prices in GBP and mileage in miles. Returns a canonical autoza.co.uk URL, the town or area, and the vehicle type for each result. Searches cars unless vehicle_type asks for vans, motorcycles or other stock. If nothing matches every filter, optional filters are relaxed one at a time and the response lists which ones. A result whose dealer title says SOLD, SALE AGREED or DEPOSIT PAID carries availability_caution; a result with no asking price has price_gbp null, and price_note flags a very low price that may be for parts or accessories rather than a vehicle. Use when someone wants to find, browse or compare actual vehicles currently for sale in the UK.

search_used_cars

Work out when a car's MOT test is due, and the earliest date it can be tested without losing its renewal date. These are Great Britain (DVSA) rules: a car's first MOT falls on the third anniversary of registration, then annually. Northern Ireland is tested by the DVA, where the first test is not due until 4 years old. Test up to one calendar month minus a day before the current certificate expires and the renewal date is kept; test earlier and it resets. Pass first_registered for a car that has never had an MOT, or mot_expires for one that has. If first_registered puts the first test in the past, the response says so and points to the car's MOT record rather than giving a due date. Use for questions about MOT due dates, MOT timing, or when a car needs testing.

check_mot_due_date