Question 1

What is BIB?

Accepted Answer

BIB (Buying Intelligence Briefing) is a used car research tool built on 289 million official DVSA MOT inspection records. Enter a UK registration plate and BIB tells you whether that specific car is reliable, what the model commonly fails on, which production year is the safest to buy, and exactly what to check when you go to view it.

Question 2

How is BIB different from a free MOT check?

Accepted Answer

A free MOT check shows you the raw test results - dates, pass or fail, and a list of failure and advisory codes. BIB shows you that same raw history for free, plus a free Vehicle Identity check and a Bib Rating - a 1-5 star verdict on the car the moment you search. Beyond that, BIB turns the data into deeper intelligence: a reliability score compared against every other example of the same model, a breakdown of what the model commonly fails on nationally, and specific guidance tailored to the car you're considering. The raw data is the starting point; BIB is the analysis on top of it.

Question 3

How is BIB different from a HPI check?

Accepted Answer

A HPI check tells you about a car's legal status - whether it's stolen, written off, or has outstanding finance. BIB tells you about its mechanical character - how reliable the model is, how this specific car compares to others of the same type, and what to physically inspect before you hand over money. They answer different questions. Used together, they cover the full picture.

Question 4

Is BIB an app or a website?

Accepted Answer

BIB is a web app - it runs in any browser on any device, with no download required. Native apps for iPhone and Android are coming soon.

Question 5

Who is BIB for?

Accepted Answer

BIB is built for the majority of used car buyers - people who aren't car experts but want to make a confident, informed purchase. If you're shortlisting cars, comparing models, or about to go and view a specific car, BIB gives you the research without needing to be a mechanic.

Question 6

Is BIB cheaper than an HPI check?

Accepted Answer

BIB is not a replacement for an HPI check - they check different things. An HPI check (typically £20–£30) tells you a car's legal status: whether it's stolen, written off, or has outstanding finance. BIB (£3 per car) tells you about the car's mechanical reliability: how the model performs nationally, how this specific car compares, and what to inspect at the viewing. For a used car purchase, doing both makes sense - HPI covers the legal risks, BIB covers the mechanical risks.

Question 7

Can I check a used car without doing an HPI check?

Accepted Answer

You can. BIB, the DVSA MOT checker, and the DVLA vehicle enquiry service between them cover registration status, MOT history, and mechanical intelligence all for free or very low cost. But an HPI check adds finance and written-off status checks that are not available in free government data. If you're spending more than a few thousand pounds, skipping a provenance check entirely is a risk BIB can't remove. Think of BIB as your mechanical intelligence layer - HPI covers the legal layer separately.

Question 8

How do I use BIB?

Accepted Answer

Enter any UK registration plate. BIB immediately returns the full Vehicle Identity, raw MOT history, and a free Bib Rating - no account needed. To unlock the full intelligence layer (reliability score, common failure areas, viewing checklist, and more), use one Bib credit (£3). Use it in any browser at app.bibapp.io - native mobile apps are coming soon.

Question 9

Do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

No account is needed to search. You can use BIB as a guest without signing up. Creating a free account (email and password only) lets you save your search history so you can revisit cars you've checked previously.

Question 10

Does BIB work on iPhone and Android?

Accepted Answer

Not as native apps yet - those are coming soon. BIB works in any mobile or desktop browser right now at app.bibapp.io, with no download needed.

Question 11

Does BIB cover Northern Ireland?

Accepted Answer

Not currently. Vehicles registered in Northern Ireland are tested under a separate scheme operated by the DVA, and those records are not included in the DVSA dataset. BIB currently covers vehicles registered and tested in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Question 12

What if the car I search for has no results?

Accepted Answer

Very new cars - those under three years old - haven't had their first MOT yet, as the first test falls due at three years. For older vehicles that don't appear, it's most likely a timing delay in the DVSA dataset. If a car that clearly should have an MOT history shows none, treat that as a reason to ask questions before proceeding.

Question 13

How do I check a used car before buying it?

Accepted Answer

Start by entering the registration plate at app.bibapp.io. The full Vehicle Identity, MOT history, and a Bib Rating - a free 1-5 star verdict on the car - appear immediately, no payment needed. For £3, the full intelligence layer adds a reliability score, common failure patterns for the model, a wear guide based on 289 million MOT records, and a list of model-specific questions to ask the seller. Before the viewing, use these to build your checklist. At the viewing, check the items the data flagged and ask the questions the model's known weak spots suggest.

Question 14

How do I know what year of a car to buy?

Accepted Answer

BIB's Best Year to Buy feature ranks every production year of a model by its first-MOT failure rate - so you can see whether a 2016 or a 2018 of the same model is statistically more reliable. This is the only ranking built entirely on official government test data rather than forum opinion or editorial scoring. If you're choosing between two years of the same model, this is the comparison to make.

Question 15

How do I know if a used car is reliable?

Accepted Answer

There are two layers to check. Model-level: how does this make and model perform nationally? BIB's 3-Year Test and Explorer show failure rates across 97,106 model profiles based on 289 million DVSA records. Car-level: how has this specific car performed over its lifetime? The raw MOT history is free for every vehicle, and a free Bib Rating gives you an instant 1-5 star verdict. BIB's reliability score then compares this individual car to every other example of the same model and year in the national dataset.

Question 16

How do I download BIB?

Accepted Answer

BIB is a web app, so there's nothing to download yet. Open app.bibapp.io in any browser on your phone, tablet, or desktop and start searching straight away. Native apps for iPhone and Android are coming soon.

Question 17

How do I create my first report?

Accepted Answer

Enter any UK registration plate at app.bibapp.io. You'll see the full Vehicle Identity, raw MOT history, and a free Bib Rating immediately - every test, pass or fail, and mileage reading. To generate a full report with the reliability score, common failure areas, and viewing checklist, spend one Bib (£3) on that vehicle. It appears instantly and is saved to your account if you're signed in.

Question 18

What's free and what costs a Bib?

Accepted Answer

Three things are always free for every car, with no account needed: the full Vehicle Identity (make, model, year, fuel type, engine size, colour, MOT status, road tax, and ULEZ compliance), the complete raw MOT history - every test, pass or fail, and every advisory and failure item - and a Bib Rating, a 1-5 star verdict with a full breakdown. Spending one Bib (£3) unlocks the other 12 sections: Mileage History, Model Reliability Rating, MOT Track Record, MOT Advisory Check, MOT History Summary, Wear Guide, National MOT Intelligence, the 3-Year Test, Best Years To Buy, Worth Comparing, Questions To Ask, and Expert Notes.

Question 19

What is the Bib Rating?

Accepted Answer

The Bib Rating is a free 1-5 star verdict on a car, shown the moment you search - before you pay for anything. Tap it to see the full breakdown: Past Owner Score (built from this car's own MOT history - recurring advisories, recent failures, gaps in testing), Model Score (how this make, model, and year compares to the national average failure rate), Make Score (how the manufacturer ranks against every other make BIB tracks), and Mileage Score (this car's mileage against a UK average guide for its age). Every input is a real DVSA or DVLA fact or an existing reliability figure, run through a fixed points system - there's no opinion and no black box behind the number.

Question 20

What is the Reliability Score?

Accepted Answer

The Reliability Score is a number from 0 to 100 that compares this specific car against every other example of the same make, model, and year in the national dataset. A score of 75 means this car is performing better than 75% of comparable examples. Above 80 is Excellent; 60-80 is Good; 40-60 is Fair; below 40 is Poor.

Question 21

How do I understand my BIB results?

Accepted Answer

Each report opens with the Reliability Score (0-100), showing how this specific car compares to every other example of the same make, model, and year. Below that you'll find the 3-Year Test result, common failure areas for the model, a wear guide for the viewing, and - where available - Community Intelligence from other owners. Higher scores and lower national failure rates are better; the viewing checklist tells you exactly what to check based on what the data flags.

Question 22

What is the 3-Year Test?

Accepted Answer

The 3-Year Test looks at a model's performance on its very first MOT - before any individual owner's care or neglect could have influenced the result. It reveals the model's inherent mechanical character, independent of how any particular car has been looked after. A model that struggles at first MOT has underlying issues that aren't caused by poor maintenance.

Question 23

What is Best Year to Buy?

Accepted Answer

Best Year to Buy ranks every production year of a model by its real-world failure rate in the national DVSA dataset. It shows whether the year of the car you're looking at is a particularly good or bad vintage - useful when deciding between a 2017 and a 2018 of the same model, for example.

Question 24

What is the MOT Advisory Check?

Accepted Answer

The MOT Advisory Check compares the two most recent MOT tests for a specific car and shows, for each advisory flagged at the previous test, whether it was fixed before the next test or quietly carried forward. It distinguishes between mechanical advisories (which should be repaired) and consumable wear items like brakes and tyres (which naturally recur). A seller who left the same mechanical advisory unresolved for two consecutive tests is telling you something about how they've looked after the car.

Question 25

What is Community Intelligence?

Accepted Answer

Community Intelligence is a layer of verified owner knowledge that sits alongside the official DVSA data. Owners and specialists can submit notes - known faults, common issues, things the official data can't capture - which are reviewed and approved by BIB before publication. It's free for registered users.

Question 26

Why doesn't my car have a Reliability Rating?

Accepted Answer

BIB requires a minimum number of national records before a Reliability Rating is shown. If a model doesn't have enough test history in the dataset, no rating is displayed - a blank is more honest than a misleading score built on too few examples. For rare or specialist vehicles (Ferrari, Aston Martin, McLaren and similar), BIB shows the individual car's own MOT history instead, which is usually the more relevant question for a car of that type.

Question 27

What is a good MOT failure rate for a used car?

Accepted Answer

The UK national MOT failure rate is 15.5% - roughly one in six cars fails. A model below 10% is performing well above average. Below 5% is exceptionally reliable. Above 25% is starting to be a concern - that's nearly one in four failing. But the rate alone doesn't tell the whole story: what matters is what the model is failing on, and whether those are serious mechanical issues or routine wear items like lights and tyres. BIB shows both the rate and the reasons.

Question 28

How many MOT failures should a car have had before I walk away?

Accepted Answer

There is no single threshold - it depends on what the car failed on, how many tests it has had, and how it compares to other examples of the same model. One serious structural failure is more concerning than three separate tyre-related failures. The key questions are: Is this failure rate higher than typical for the model? Are the same items failing repeatedly? Are the failure items serious or routine? BIB's MOT Track Record shows this car's full failure history in context, so you can judge each case rather than applying a fixed number.

Question 29

What are the most reliable used cars to buy in the UK?

Accepted Answer

BIB's 3-Year Test Rankings rank every UK car model by first-MOT failure rate - the purest test of a model's inherent build quality, before any individual owner's care can influence the result. Japanese makes consistently rank at the top. Models with a first-MOT failure rate below 5% represent the most reliable used cars by this measure. Browse the full rankings at bibapp.io/3-year-test-rankings.

Question 30

What used cars have the fewest MOT failures?

Accepted Answer

Based on 289 million DVSA MOT records, Japanese manufacturers dominate the low-failure end. Toyota models - particularly the Yaris, Aygo, and Auris - consistently appear in the top-ranked profiles by first-MOT pass rate. The full rankings by model are available in BIB's 3-Year Test Rankings, which covers every UK car model with sufficient national test history.

Question 31

Where does the data come from?

Accepted Answer

All data comes from the DVSA's official MOT inspection records - 289 million inspections covering every UK MOT test since 2005. BIB does not use third-party estimates, forum averages, or editorial opinion. Every insight is derived directly from the same official records used by the UK Government.

Question 32

How many cars are in the database?

Accepted Answer

BIB's dataset covers 289 million MOT inspections across 97,106 model profiles, spanning vehicle years from 1990 to 2024. This is the complete DVSA record - not a sample.

Question 33

How current is the data?

Accepted Answer

The DVSA releases updated MOT data periodically. BIB incorporates each update as it becomes available, so you're always seeing the most recent official release.

Question 34

What if a car has no MOT history?

Accepted Answer

Cars under three years old are not yet required to have an MOT - the first test falls due at three years. Historic vehicles over 40 years old are also exempt. If a car that should have a record shows none, that is worth investigating before you proceed.

Question 35

Why is there no reliability data for my vehicle?

Accepted Answer

BIB requires a minimum number of test records before it will show a reliability result. Below that threshold, it shows nothing - a blank is more honest than a figure built on too few examples. This affects several categories: very rare or low-volume models that simply haven't accumulated enough national test history; specialist vehicles where the model name is recorded inconsistently by test stations, making it impossible to group records reliably; grey imports that don't match UK model names in the DVSA database; and vehicles registered in the last three years that haven't reached their first MOT yet. If BIB shows no data, it means the evidence base isn't strong enough to be useful. That is intentional.

Question 36

How does BIB decide when there's enough data to show results?

Accepted Answer

BIB applies a minimum test threshold before showing reliability results. For standard vehicles, this is 100 MOT tests per model-year combination. For specialist vehicles such as campervans, the threshold is lower - 50 tests - to accommodate rarer vehicles while still maintaining statistical meaning. A failure rate derived from 12 tests tells you very little. One derived from 1,200 tells you a great deal. BIB won't show you the former as if it's equivalent to the latter.

Question 37

Why is motorhome coverage more limited?

Accepted Answer

Three problems hit simultaneously - none of them BIB's, all inherited from how the DVSA data is recorded. First, motorhome brands are low-volume - a well-known brand may sell only a few hundred vehicles a year in the UK, so test records are thin by nature. Second, model names are frequently recorded inconsistently by test stations - a motorhome is often logged as "MOTORHOME", "UNCLASSIFIED", or left blank, making it impossible to group records reliably. Third, most motorhomes are not manufactured as a complete unit - they are built on a donor van chassis, and the DVSA record reflects the base vehicle rather than the conversion. BIB shows the data that exists, explains where it is thin, and guides users toward a more useful search rather than presenting weak figures as reliable ones.

Question 38

I'm researching a motorhome. What should I search?

Accepted Answer

Search the donor van chassis rather than the motorhome brand. Most motorhomes are built on one of four van platforms - the engine, gearbox, and transmission all come from the base vehicle, not the conversion builder. The Fiat Ducato (the same platform sold as Peugeot Boxer and Citroen Relay) is used by Burstner, Adria, Hymer, Bailey, Elddis, Autotrail, Dethleffs, and most other major brands. Ford Transit is used by Auto-Trail, Marquis and others. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter cover the premium end. Searching any of these in BIB gives you far more useful reliability intelligence than the motorhome brand name. The conversion builder adds the living accommodation - they do not change the drivetrain.

Question 39

Why can't I search for campervans as a vehicle type?

Accepted Answer

Because the category does not exist in the DVSA data - this is a classification issue with the national record, not with BIB. Factory campervans and professional conversions - VW California, converted Transporters, converted Transits, converted Ducatos - are all registered as standard vans in national MOT records. The DVSA does not distinguish between a plain van and one converted to a campervan. Searching "campervan" returns nothing because that classification simply is not in the source data. The correct approach is to search the base van. BIB covers the mechanical reliability of each base vehicle fully, which is the part that matters most. The four to try: Volkswagen Transporter (including California), Fiat Ducato, Ford Transit, and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.

Question 40

Why do some car models have higher MOT failure rates than others?

Accepted Answer

Several factors contribute. Design complexity: cars with more turbochargers, electronic systems, or advanced suspension have more components that can fail. Typical usage: higher-mileage models accumulate more wear on brakes, tyres, and exhausts. Build quality: manufacturing consistency at the point of production directly affects first-MOT results. And maintenance culture: some models attract owners who maintain them carefully; others don't. BIB separates these factors by comparing each model against cars of the same age and usage profile, using only official DVSA data.

Question 41

Why is MOT history important when buying a used car?

Accepted Answer

The MOT record is the only independent audit trail on a used car that the seller cannot access or alter. It records every UK test since 2005: what passed, what failed, and the mileage at each test. This lets you verify the mileage history, identify patterns of mechanical neglect, check whether advisories were resolved or ignored, and understand what the model commonly struggles with nationally. No amount of claiming "full service history" or "one careful owner" substitutes for what the official MOT record objectively shows.

Question 42

How much does BIB cost?

Accepted Answer

The Vehicle Identity check, raw MOT history, and Bib Rating are always free. To unlock BIB's full intelligence layer, one Bib costs £3. You can also buy packs: 5 Bibs for £12 (£2.40 per report, 20% off) or 10 Bibs for £21 (£2.10 per report, 30% off). Packs are better value if you're shortlisting several cars.

Question 43

Do Bibs expire?

Accepted Answer

No. Bibs never expire. Buy a pack and use them whenever you need - there is no time limit and no subscription.

Question 44

Is there a subscription?

Accepted Answer

No. BIB has no subscription and no recurring charges. You buy Bibs when you need them, and unused credits carry forward indefinitely.

Question 45

What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

All major credit and debit cards are accepted, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also supported. All payments are processed securely via Stripe.

Question 46

Can I get a refund?

Accepted Answer

If a model search returns no data - because test volumes are below BIB's minimum threshold - no Bib is deducted. You only spend a Bib when BIB successfully generates a report. If a technical fault prevents retrieval for a registration that should have data, the Bib used will also be refunded. Refunds are not available once a report has been successfully generated and delivered. To request a refund, contact support using the button below.

Question 47

Do I need an account to use BIB?

Accepted Answer

No. You can search any UK registration plate and access the full Vehicle Identity, raw MOT history, and Bib Rating without an account. A free account (email and password only) lets you save your search history so you can revisit cars you've already checked. As a guest, any Bibs you buy don't persist between sessions, and only single Bibs can be purchased - not packs. Create a free account to keep your Bibs saved and to buy packs.

Question 48

What information do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

Just an email address and a password. No payment details, no phone number, and nothing else.

Question 49

Is my search history private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your search history is stored in your account and is not shared or used for advertising. If you use BIB as a guest, no history is stored at all.

Question 50

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Email support@superheropanda.com from the address linked to your account and ask us to close it. We'll delete your account and search history within a few working days. Any unused Bibs are refunded automatically if the account is closed within 14 days of purchase.

Question 51

What do I do if the app crashes or shows an error?

Accepted Answer

Close the browser tab fully and reopen it, then try again. Clearing your browser cache or trying a different browser also resolves most one-off errors. If it keeps happening, contact us with the registration you searched and your device and browser and we'll investigate.

Question 52

My report won't load - what should I do?

Accepted Answer

This is usually a temporary connectivity issue - check your connection and try refreshing. If a specific registration consistently fails to load, contact us with the registration and we'll look into it. You're not charged a Bib if a report fails to generate.

Question 53

I'm signed in but can't see my saved search history - what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Make sure you're signed into the same account you used to save it - search history is tied to your account, not your device or browser. If you're still not seeing it after confirming that, contact us and we'll look into it. Your account and search history are stored on our servers, not on your device, so nothing is lost.

Frequently Asked
Questions

What is BIB?

Using BIB

What BIB Tells You

The Data

Pricing and Credits

Accounts and Privacy

Troubleshooting

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Frequently AskedQuestions

What is BIB?

Using BIB

What BIB Tells You

The Data

Pricing and Credits

Accounts and Privacy

Troubleshooting

Still have questions?

Frequently Asked
Questions