Jargon Buster

• What does PRS mean on an MOT?

  It means the car failed initially but the fault was fixed on the spot within an hour, then passed.

• What does FSH mean?

  Full Service History - every scheduled service has been done and recorded.

• What's the difference between FSH and FMDSH?

  FMDSH means every service was done at a manufacturer's main dealer - FSH just means it was serviced somewhere.

• What does OVNO mean?

  Or Very Near Offer - the seller wants close to the asking price, with only a little room to negotiate.

• What does ONO mean?

  Or Nearest Offer - similar to OVNO, but generally read as leaving a bit more room to negotiate.

• What is Cat S?

  The car has had structural damage but has been assessed as repairable and roadworthy again.

• What is Cat N?

  The car has been written off for non-structural damage - repairable, without the structural questions Cat S carries.

• What's the difference between Cat S, Cat N, Cat C and Cat D?

  Cat C and Cat D were retired in 2017 and replaced by Cat S and Cat N - many older cars still carry the old labels.

• What is a V5C?

  The car's official registration document, sometimes called the logbook.

• What does SORN mean?

  SORN stands for Statutory Off Road Notification - how you officially declare a car is off the public road.

• Is an advisory the same as a fault?

  No - an advisory means something will likely need attention soon, not that it's already wrong.

• What does "sold as seen" actually mean?

  It carries real weight in a private sale, but a trader can't use it to remove your statutory rights.

• What is ADAS?

  Advanced Driver Assistance Systems - the tech that helps with driving, like lane-keep assist and automatic braking.

• What is a vehicle history check?

  A check of a used car's records for things you can't see by looking at it, like outstanding finance, theft reports and insurance write-offs.

• What is a third party risk marker?

  A note on a car's history record that an outside organisation has registered an interest in it, for a reason outside the usual finance, stolen and write-off checks.

• What is a salvage auction record?

  A record that a car was listed at a salvage auction, where damaged and written-off vehicles are usually sold.

• Does the number of previous keepers matter?

  On its own, not much. It's most useful read alongside the car's service history and MOT record.

• What does a colour change on a car's record mean?

  The colour registered for the car has been updated, usually after a respray. It isn't a warning sign on its own.