Glossary · UK car ownership
What is a full service history? FSH meaning explained.
FSH stands for Full Service History: a complete record of every manufacturer-recommended service the car has had, backed up by dealer stamps, garage invoices, or a digital service log. UK buyers look for it more than almost any other piece of paperwork, and the gap between FSH and "no history" is often worth hundreds or thousands at resale.
FSH, FDSH, PSH: what each one actually means
Car ads and dealer listings use four shorthand terms for service history. They aren't interchangeable, and the difference matters when you're buying or selling.
| Acronym | Stands for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| FSH | Full Service History | Every recommended service done on time and recorded. Dealer or approved independent. |
| FDSH | Full Dealer Service History | Every service done by an authorised manufacturer dealer. The strictest standard. |
| PSH | Part Service History | Some services recorded, others missing or skipped. The most common real-world state. |
| NSH | No Service History | No documented record at all. Often a lost service book or inherited car. |
Why FSH matters at resale
A car with documented full service history reassures the next buyer that the vehicle has been looked after. It affects the price you can ask, how quickly the car sells, and how much room a buyer has to haggle you down. Auto Trader, dealers, and private buyers all treat service history as one of the first things to check. A 2024 industry survey put the FSH premium at 5–15% of the sale price for mainstream brands, and higher again on premium marques like Audi, BMW, and Porsche.
The reverse is true too. A car listed as "no service history" sits on the market longer and pulls in lower offers, because buyers price in the risk of unknown maintenance gaps. Sellers who can't produce records usually end up dropping the asking price or paying to recover the history before they list.
How to tell what service history your car has
Start with the physical service book in the car's document wallet, or the glovebox. Look for stamped entries showing the garage name, date, and mileage at each service. Many manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, and several others) now run a digital service portal as well, where your entries are stored online and visible to authorised dealers.
If the book is missing or the stamps stop partway through, that's usually the moment an owner realises they're looking at PSH or NSH. The records often still exist. They just aren't in your hands. Authorised dealers keep workshop records for around 7–10 years depending on the manufacturer, and independent garages hold on to them for varying periods too.
What to do if your service history is missing
Gaps in the history don't mean you're stuck with them. CarServiceHistory.co.uk recovers missing service records by contacting the dealers, specialists, and independent garages most likely to have serviced the car. You enter your registration, we check what's already sitting in the digital portals, then we chase confirmation from anyone who might hold paperwork, stamps, or invoices for the visits your book doesn't show.
For most UK cars, recovering some or all of the missing history takes anywhere from 24 hours to 14 days, depending on how many garages need contacting and how fast they reply. What you get back is one downloadable record pack you can hand straight to a buyer.
Find your service history by brand
Every manufacturer stores its records a bit differently, with its own portal, dealer policies, and specialist network. If you already know your brand, jump straight to its page:
Missing service history? Start a search.
Enter your registration and we'll check the dealer portal first, then chase the garages most likely to hold the missing records. You get a clear service-history pack you can keep or send to a buyer.