What is a digital service record?

A digital service record is an online record of a car's maintenance history, tied to its registration rather than a physical book kept in the glovebox. Each entry can carry a verification level — owner reported, invoice attached, or garage confirmed — so a reader can tell how solid the evidence behind it is, not just what's claimed.

Is a digital service record the same as a full service history?

A full service history is the claim; a digital service record is the evidence for it. A digital record that shows exactly which services happened, when, and how each one was verified is more useful to a buyer than the phrase 'full service history' on its own with nothing to check it against.

How do I get my car's digital service history?

If the car was serviced by franchised dealers, ask a dealer for your make to print the manufacturer's digital service record — have the registration and VIN ready. Some manufacturers also show it in their owner app. Work done by garages outside that network may not be on it, so keep their invoices as well.

Digital service history: what a digital service record is

A digital service record is the paper service book’s replacement: a record of a car’s maintenance history that lives online against its registration, rather than a booklet that can be left in the previous owner’s glovebox, filled in inconsistently, or lost entirely.

Why not just keep the paper book

The paper book has three structural problems: it travels with whoever currently has the car rather than with the car’s permanent record, a garage’s stamp in it is trivial to write in without the work having happened, and a lost or damaged book takes the entire history with it. A digital record fixes the first and third by design, and the second by attaching a verification level to every entry instead of treating every stamp as equally trustworthy.

Two kinds of digital service history

“Digital service history” usually means one of two things, and it helps to know which you’re looking at.

The manufacturer’s record. Many manufacturers have replaced the stamped book with a digital record that their dealers update after each visit. Volkswagen, for example, says its cars from May 2017 have no physical service book, and a retailer can print the record on request. Vauxhall lists a digital service record shown in its owner app. The limitation is coverage: these records are kept by the dealer network, and work done elsewhere may not appear unless the garage added it. The service history guides by make cover how this works for Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Nissan and Tesla.

A record kept against the car by its owner. Every invoice from every garage — dealer or independent — added to one record tied to the registration, alongside the MOT history. This is what CarKept does. It covers what the manufacturer’s record misses, and it’s something you can show a buyer with a link rather than a trip to a dealer. The two work together: a dealer printout is itself a document worth adding.

How a digital service record works on CarKept

Add a record from an invoice. A photo of any invoice — from any garage, past or present — becomes a structured record on the car’s page.

Every record is marked with its verification tier. Owner reported means you logged it yourself; invoice attached means it’s backed by the original document; garage confirmed means the garage has confirmed the work directly, by email, against that specific record.

Records are permanent. Nothing gets edited away — a correction is logged alongside the original entry, not used to quietly rewrite it.

Start your car's digital record

Look up your car by registration to see its free vehicle page, then add your first maintenance record from a photo of any invoice.

Have service invoices? Upload and keep them with your car’s history →

Frequently asked questions

What is a digital service record?: A digital service record is an online record of a car's maintenance history, tied to its registration rather than a physical book kept in the glovebox. Each entry can carry a verification level — owner reported, invoice attached, or garage confirmed — so a reader can tell how solid the evidence behind it is, not just what's claimed.
Is a digital service record the same as a full service history?: A full service history is the claim; a digital service record is the evidence for it. A digital record that shows exactly which services happened, when, and how each one was verified is more useful to a buyer than the phrase 'full service history' on its own with nothing to check it against.
How do I get my car's digital service history?: If the car was serviced by franchised dealers, ask a dealer for your make to print the manufacturer's digital service record — have the registration and VIN ready. Some manufacturers also show it in their owner app. Work done by garages outside that network may not be on it, so keep their invoices as well.