What Cartell.ie does

Cartell.ie, operated by Auto Records Ltd (company number 393306) and headquartered in Dublin with offices also referenced in Kildare, is Ireland's first and largest consumer car history check service, launched in May 2006 as a subsidiary within Motion Group / Mediahuis Ireland. The company's core product is a tiered vehicle history report (1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star, and Premium Plus) that aggregates Irish and UK data on finance status, write-offs, mileage, NCT/MOT history, tax, ownership, and vehicle specification into an instant online report delivered against a registration number. Cartell owns and operates the National Mileage Register (NMR), Ireland's only national mileage database with over 35 million readings since 2006, and established the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud & Theft Register (MIAFTR) to flag written-off vehicles in the absence of any equivalent Irish legislation.

The technical platform is a data-aggregation engine that integrates the Irish NMR with licensed data from HPI Ireland (finance register), HPI UK (UK NMR with 200M+ readings, finance, write-offs, and stolen vehicle checks — an exclusive license within Ireland), Car VX (Japanese imports, 130M+ vehicles), and CPG Limited for the Cartell Price Guide valuation engine. Supporting products include the VRT Calculator, NOx Calculator, NCT Predictor, ABI insurance ratings, vehicle recalls, and a Personal Account loyalty layer with a 20% discount. A VRM Data API (XML/JSON) with test caching extends the dataset to developers and B2B integrators across Ireland, the UK, Spain, and Portugal.

Revenue is generated primarily through low-friction one-time report purchases (approximately €20 single or €45 for three checks; ~€25 for Japanese import checks), complemented by volume-based Trade Accounts for dealers and subscription-like B2B API/European VRM data licensing. Distribution runs through a self-serve PLG web platform, SEO/organic search, a dedicated trade portal, content/blog, email via Mailchimp, and channel partnerships with CarsIreland.ie, Carzone, Autotrader, Adverts.ie, and AA Ireland. Customer segments span individual Irish car buyers and sellers (primary), motor dealerships and trade businesses, and enterprises — financial institutions and insurance companies — that consume Cartell Price Guide data for lending, risk, and pre-accident valuations.

Name

Cartell.ie

Legal name

Auto Records Ltd

Website

https://cartell.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cartell.ie is Ireland's first and No.1 car history check service, providing tiered vehicle history reports on Irish and UK-registered cars to individual buyers, automotive dealers, and financial and insurance institutions through a self-serve online platform underpinned by the proprietary National Mileage Register.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kildare

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vehicle History Check Reports: One-time transaction fees for tiered car history check reports (1-star, 2-star, 3-star). Reports are purchased individually or in bundles of 3. Personal account holders receive a 20% ongoing discount on all checks.
2. Trade Account Subscriptions: Trade accounts for automotive dealers and businesses with access to bulk car history checks, separate login portal, and business solutions. Volume-based billing for trade customers.
3. European VRM Data / API Services: B2B data licensing and API access to Cartell's vehicle registration mark (VRM) data for business integrations, including real-time XML/JSON data feeds for developers and system integrators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cartell.ie sells multi-tiered vehicle history check reports (1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star) for Irish and UK-registered vehicles, aggregating finance, mileage, write-off, NCT/MOT, tax, ownership and valuation data from Ireland's National Mileage Register, HPI Ireland, HPI UK, MIAFTR and Cartell Price Guide. It also provides trade bulk-check accounts, VRT/NOx calculators, a Cartell Price Guide valuation service, and a VRM data API for B2B integrations and developers.

Product overview

Cartell.ie is Ireland's first and leading car history check service operated by Auto Records Ltd, offering a platform of vehicle data products centered on the Cartell Car History Check. The core service provides multi-tiered vehicle reports (1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star) covering Irish vehicles and UK imports, integrated with partner services HPI UK for UK data and Car VX for Japanese imports. Supporting products include the National Mileage Register (NMR) for mileage verification, the Cartell Car Price Guide (CPG) for vehicle valuations, VRT and NOx calculators for import fees, and API integration services for businesses. User access is through Personal Accounts (with 20% discount) or Trade Accounts for automotive professionals. The company also operates the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud & Theft Register (MIAFTR) for write-off tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cartell Car History Check (1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star Reports) Multi-tiered vehicle history report for Irish and UK-registered vehicles, aggregating data from HPI Ireland, MIAFTR, NMR Ireland, HPI UK, NCT records and the Cartell Price Guide to flag outstanding finance, mileage discrepancies, write-off records, ownership history and tax/NCT status. Sold directly to Irish motorists at €20 (1 report) or €45 (3 reports) for the Standard tier and €45/€75 for the Premium tier, with a Personal Account 20% discount.
• Cartell Price Guide (CPG) Valuation Vehicle valuation service providing current, one-year and three-year projected valuations for Irish and UK vehicles by cross-referencing advertised prices from CarsIreland.ie, Carzone, Autotrader and Adverts.ie with Cartell's vehicle-specific history data, supplied by CPG Limited.
• National Mileage Register (NMR) Ireland Ireland's largest database of recorded vehicle mileages (over 35 million readings), owned and operated by Cartell, cross-referencing all known mileages against a vehicle and checking user-submitted readings against historical data to detect odometer discrepancies.
• Cartell Personal Account Free account platform for individual Irish motorists offering a 20% discount on all car history checks plus a suite of personal tools: vehicle valuation, mileage analysis, similar-car search, ABI insurance ratings, service scheduling, NCT Predictor and vehicle recall checks.
• Cartell Trade Account Bulk-access business account for automotive dealers and trade professionals, providing higher-volume car history checks, VRT Calculator and dedicated trade features through a separate secure login portal at cartell.ie/secure/trade.
• VRT Calculator (Ireland) Free Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) calculator that estimates Irish VRT costs (including the NOx levy) for imported or new vehicles, helping Irish buyers determine registration costs before purchase.
• Cartell NOx Calculator Calculator for determining NOx emissions charges that apply to UK-imported vehicles in Ireland (in effect since 2020).
• Car VX Japanese Import Check Partner-provided Japanese vehicle history report (approximately €25 / 3,900 Yen) accessed via Cartell for Irish and UK customers with Japanese imports; delivers accident history, odometer readings, service records, recall information and vehicle assessments from Car VX, with data drawn from Japan's MLIT and the Car VX database of over 130 million used Japanese vehicles.
• European VRM Data for Business B2B European Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM) data licensing service providing cross-border vehicle data coverage for business customers requiring vehicle identity and history lookups beyond Ireland and the UK.
• Cartell VRM API Integration Developer-facing XML/JSON API delivering Cartell vehicle data — including finance, write-off, mileage, stolen-vehicle, plate transfer, MOT history, VRT calculations and valuations — for integration into third-party applications and dealer management systems, with test VRM caching available for development and monitoring.
• HPI UK Vehicle History Check (via Cartell) UK vehicle history check delivered via Cartell's licensed HPI UK partnership, covering outstanding finance, write-off damage, stolen status, UK NMR mileage discrepancies, plate changes, vehicle identity and security alerts; provided for UK-registered vehicles now on Irish plates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1 in 3 vehicles (33%) sold has a hidden history issue not disclosed during the sales process
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HPI UKcoreTechnology or IntegrationHPI UK is the market leader in UK vehicle history data since 1938. Cartell is the only company in Ireland with licensed access to HPI UK data including the UK National Mileage Register (200+ million mileage readings) and the only consumer car check authorised to conduct HPI UK finance checks on vehicles registered in the UK.
• Hire Purchase Information Limited (HPI Ireland)coreTechnology or IntegrationHPI Ireland operates the finance register used by Cartell to check outstanding finance on Irish vehicles. Entries on the register are based on information supplied by HPI's members and subscribers.
• CPG LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationCPG Limited provides the Car Price Guide (CPG) valuation engine used within Cartell reports. CPG generates indicative vehicle valuations based on current advertised prices cross-referenced with Cartell's vehicle history data.
• CarsIreland.ieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as one of Cartell's 'Friends' alongside Independent.ie, Mediahuis.ie, nmr.ie, Carzone.ie, and Switcher.ie. Promotes Cartell services on the CarsIreland.ie car marketplace. Cartell loads cars onto CarsIreland.ie, Autotrader, and Adverts.ie and receives advertised price data in return for CPG valuation accuracy.
• National Mileage Register (NMR) — IrelandcoreTechnology or IntegrationNMR is Ireland's first and only National Mileage Register, established by Cartell in May 2006. It holds over 35 million recorded mileage readings and is the most comprehensive single source of mileage data for motor vehicles in Ireland.
• Mediahuis Ireland (Parent)coreOthersAuto Records Ltd (trading as Cartell) is a subsidiary of Motion Group, which is part of Mediahuis Ireland. This parent relationship provides cross-promotional opportunities with other Mediahuis Ireland properties including Independent.ie and Mediahuis.ie.
• AA IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCartell provides car history check services on behalf of AA Ireland, indicating a referral or white-label partnership arrangement for AA's members seeking vehicle history verification.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AutoCheck (Experian): AutoCheck is Experian's vehicle history brand, leveraging Experian's broader credit and consumer data assets. Comparable as a data-led vehicle history service bundled with a wider financial data platform.
• Carfax: Carfax is the dominant US vehicle history provider and is expanding into Europe. Comparable as a category-leading vehicle history brand with multi-country data aggregation similar to Cartell's positioning.
• AA Ireland: AA Ireland is a broad motoring services incumbent in Ireland that already has a white-label/referral partnership with Cartell. Comparable as an Irish motoring-services brand with overlapping vehicle-history touchpoints.
• RAC Vehicle Check: RAC offers vehicle history checks as part of its broader UK roadside assistance and motoring services portfolio. It competes with Cartell in UK vehicle history but as part of a wider consumer motoring membership offering.

Emerging players

• Bumper: Bumper is a UK fintech offering vehicle history and pay-monthly financing for used car purchases. It overlaps with Cartell's dealer-facing and consumer-facing vehicle history proposition in the UK and competes for the same dealer relationships.
• Car VX: Car VX is Japan's first and only Japanese vehicle history provider, partnered with Cartell for Japanese import checks. Comparable as a niche national vehicle history registry operator with adjacent market coverage.
• EpicVin: EpicVin offers international vehicle history reports with VIN decoding across multiple markets. It is an emerging player overlapping Cartell's multi-country vehicle data aggregation strategy.

Direct peers

• HPI (UK): HPI is the UK market leader in vehicle history checks since 1938, operating the UK National Mileage Register. Cartell is licensed by HPI for UK data, making it the closest functional analogue in the vehicle history category.
• CarVertical: CarVertical is a blockchain-based global vehicle history platform aggregating data from multiple countries. It is a direct peer in the vehicle history category with a cross-border, multi-country data model similar to Cartell's pan-European ambition.
• MyCarCheck: MyCarCheck provides UK vehicle history reports including finance, write-off, mileage, and stolen checks. It is a UK-focused direct competitor with similar pay-per-report and trade subscription offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cartellcarcheck
• Facebookfacebook.com/cartellcarcheck
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cartell
• Instagraminstagram.com/cartell.ie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cartell.ie