Kermo
A free UK MOT history & fuel price checker
Hey everyone,
I recently launched Kermo (https://kermo.co.uk
) — a free tool for UK drivers.
The DVSA (UK government) provides an API with the full test history of every vehicle since 2005. The official government checker is functional but very bare and lacks context. I wanted to build something that actually surfaced the important signals when buying a used car: mileage drops that suggest clocking, repeated structural failures, and advisories that became full failures.
Alongside the MOT history, I added:
Real-time local petrol and diesel prices
Email reminders for MOT and tax expiry
Stack: Spring Boot API / Next.js 15 App Router / PostgreSQL / Docker on a VPS.
Current status: 0 users. Currently focusing on building SEO via programmatic guides and trying to figure out distribution.
Would love any feedback on the UI or ideas on how you would market a free B2C utility tool like this!
5 Comments
The extra signals make this more than an MOT lookup. Have any real buyers used Kermo yet and changed which car they were considering?
Not yet! I literally just put it live today, so traffic is still at zero.
But the whole reason I built it was for my own car hunts. When you check a plate on the standard government site, it's just a massive wall of text. It's really easy to miss if a car fails every single year for the exact same suspension issue, or if the mileage looks slightly off between tests.
I haven't saved anyone else from a bad purchase yet, but using it myself has definitely made me skip a few AutoTrader listings. Now I just need to figure out how to get it in front of actual buyers!
The fact that it already changed your own car-hunting decisions is the strongest signal so far. If you’re open to it, what’s the best email to reach you on?
Thanks Aryan! I'd be happy to chat. You can reach me at kermo.project[at]gmailcom
Thanks! I’ve just sent it over.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts whenever you have a chance.