How Okay works
Three steps, one honest answer.
Tell me what's up
Type it, snap the dashboard light, or send a voice note from the layby. Plain English — no jargon needed.
I'll have a proper think
I cross-check your symptoms against your car's full DVSA MOT history and the faults your make is known for.
Here's your plan
The likely cause, a fair price, how urgent it is, and exactly what to say so they can't have you on.
What can Okay help with?
If your car's doing it, Okay's seen it.
Okay tells you straight
You'll know how serious it is by my face.
Nothing to worry about. Off you pop.
Book it in soon — it won't fix itself.
I'll be honest — stop and call for help.
What Okay does for you.
“Quoted £600 for a “new turbo”? Okay reckons it's worth checking the boost hose first — that's a fraction of the price.”
“Send a voice note from the hard shoulder and Okay will tell you straight whether to drive on or stop and call recovery.”
“Know nothing about cars? Walk into the garage knowing the likely cause, a fair price, and exactly what to ask for.”
Illustrative examples of how Okay helps — not customer testimonials.
Good question
Common questions about CarOkay
What we do, where our data comes from, how we're different from BookMyGarage, and whether you need an account.
Is CarOkay free to use?
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Yes — for drivers, everything is free: AI car diagnosis, MOT history checks, insurance checks, and sending booking enquiries to garages. We make our money from garages who subscribe to the platform (£99/month) and pay a small fee per attended booking.
How accurate is the AI car diagnosis?
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The AI uses Claude (by Anthropic) cross-referenced with your full DVSA MOT history. It's a strong shortlist of likely issues with cost estimates and urgency ratings — useful for knowing what to ask a mechanic about. It's not a substitute for a hands-on inspection. Always verify with a qualified garage before authorising repairs.
Where does CarOkay get its data?
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MOT history comes from the official DVSA MOT History API. Insurance status comes from the MIB Motor Insurance Database (MID). Garage details are verified against DVSA testing-station records, Companies House, and Google reviews. We don't make data up — every figure on the platform is sourced.
How is CarOkay different from BookMyGarage or FixMyCar?
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Two things: every booking arrives with an AI diagnosis attached, so garages can quote accurately on the first reply; and we don't take a percentage of the job — garages pay a flat £15 per attended booking instead of 10–15% commission. For drivers it means faster, more accurate quotes and no hidden price padding.
Is CarOkay available across the UK?
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Yes — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The DVSA MOT API covers Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales); Northern Ireland has a separate MOT scheme run by DVA, which we don't yet cover for history lookups. AI diagnostics and garage booking work UK-wide.
Do I need an account to use CarOkay?
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No. Diagnosis, MOT checks, insurance checks and garage searches all work without signing in. You only need to provide a name and email when you actually send a booking enquiry to a garage — and that's so the garage can reply.
Forgot your MOT date last year?
Pop in your reg and email — I'll nudge you 4 weeks, 2 weeks, and 1 week before it's due. Free, forever.