Vehicle history report website Checka has become the first in New Zealand to offer vehicle reports via text message.

The service, which enables a person purchasing a vehicle to get an on-the-spot overview or a car, truck, van, motorbike, trailer or motorhome just by entering the license plate, will provide buyers of a vehicle added peace of mind that it is genuine.

The report can be accessed by texting Checka ABC123 to 2383, where ABC123 is the license plate you want to check. Within a couple of minutes the report is generated and sent back to your phone.

Checka Director Patrick Moore said, “There are many ways a criminal can disguise a vehicle. If you purchase a stolen vehicle it will be repossessed, so a quick and easy check using Checka can alert you to any immediate issues.”

The report includes year, make, model, colour, number of seats, engine size, last known kilometers, registration expiry, warrant of fitness expiry and the engine number so that buyers can verify the vehicle they’re looking at matches the number plate.

If you have a web-capable mobile phone (or just want to get a vehicle report using your web browser), you can browse to www.checka.co.nz and get a more detailed report, including ownership history, unpaid loans and plate history.

The text message costs 30c.