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MotorWeb is a vehicle-information and history-check business operated by Trade Me Limited. It supplies consumer vehicle reports and business services through an online portal, bulk-data tools and APIs. Its products draw on NZTA and other government and private-sector data for vehicle identity, registration and licensing, ownership, financial-interest, odometer, valuation and related checks. Patrick Costigan founded MotorWeb in 1997 and the business began trading in 2000. Trade Me agreed to acquire it in December 2013 and completed the acquisition on 20 December for NZ$19.5 million. MotorWeb now serves consumers and organisations including vehicle dealers, finance and insurance providers, fleet and parking operators, marketplaces and automotive software providers in New Zealand; its business website also presents services for Australia. MotorWeb's current product range includes the Vehicle Information Report, MotorCheck and Asset Check reports, vehicle-identification data, ownership and driver checks, market and RedBook valuations, fleet pricing and pre-accident valuations. Its valuation material says its market model uses machine learning, but no reliable evidence was found for the profile's claimed 2024 launch date. MotorWeb's current documentation confirms that RUC information is included in the VIR and MotorCheck registration and licensing sections.
MotorWeb's most extensive vehicle report, covering vehicle specifications, registration, WoF/CoF and RUC information, ownership where authorised, financial interests, odometer and listing history, valuations and alerts. MotorWeb's consumer site advertises a $100,000 repossession guarantee.
Vehicle-description data sourced from NZTA, including make, model, series, transmission and other identifying attributes, available for business integration.
A vehicle-identification product that matches vehicles to RedBook codes for insurance, finance and related workflows.
A vehicle-details report available through the MotorWeb portal and API. It includes registration and licensing information such as RUC, WoF and CoF; ownership information requires relevant section 241 access.
A detailed business report combining NZTA vehicle information, financial-interest checks, specifications, ownership where authorised, odometer and listing history, and valuations.
API-accessible vehicle valuation services. MotorWeb says its market valuation uses listing and sales information with a machine-learning model; RedBook provides a separate pricing dataset.
Bulk vehicle valuation and residual-value tools for portfolios and multiple fleets.
Vehicle valuation reports and comparable-vehicle information intended to support insurance total-loss assessments.
NZTA-data services that confirm the registered person associated with a vehicle. Access to personal ownership information is subject to section 241 authorisation and applicable privacy requirements.
Driver-licence verification covering validity, currency and authorised vehicle classes, subject to consent and privacy requirements.
Vehicle-data products that can integrate with licence-plate-recognition systems used in parking, tolling and traffic-management applications.
Patrick Costigan founded MotorWeb. Contemporary acquisition reporting says the business was founded in 1997 and later operated through companies including OnTap Information Limited and MotorWeb Services Limited.
MotorWeb began trading, providing online vehicle-information services.
MotorWeb won Computerworld's eBusiness of the Year award.
Trade Me announced an agreement to acquire MotorWeb on 12 December and completed the NZ$19.5 million acquisition on 20 December. Trade Me's financial statements describe a combination of asset and share purchases.
OnTap Information Limited entered liquidation. MotorWeb-related intellectual property was assigned from OnTap Information Limited to Trade Me Limited.
The liquidator reported that OnTap Information Limited's liquidation had been completed and requested its removal from the Companies Register.
Founder (1997–2019)
Born in Canada, studied electrical engineering at the University of Calgary. Moved to NZ in the early 1990s to join a global team setting up a new national telecommunications provider. Founded OnTap Information Ltd in 1997 based on an idea from 1992 about gaining electronic access to the motor vehicle registry. Chairman of the NZ Inventors' Trust, University of Auckland lecturer, named one of Bayer NZ's Innovators (2009). Passed away 1 October 2019 from Multiple System Atrophy.
Former Managing Director
Led MotorWeb through its growth phase when the trade and finance industry provided 90% of revenue. Instrumental in the Trade Me acquisition. By 2008 MotorWeb dominated the trade end of the vehicle market, covering 30–40% of NZ car sales.
MotorWeb provides RUC information as part of its vehicle-information services. Current product documentation says the VIR and MotorCheck include RUC information within their registration and licensing sections. The consumer VIR page also identifies outstanding RUC as an issue that its report may flag. MotorWeb is an information intermediary rather than a RUC collection agent, and no public MotorWeb position on RUC policy reform was identified.
On 23 May 2024, NZTA said personal information relating to 1,480 people had been accessed illegally through MotorWeb's third-party portal. NZTA said the identity of a motor vehicle trader and its staff had been used to create a fraudulent account accessing Motor Vehicle Register and Driver Licence Register information. MotorWeb cancelled the account when it discovered it, notified NZTA and assisted the investigation. NZTA also notified Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
973228
9429037513696
NZ Limited Company
13 Aug 1999
Level 5, 2 Market Lane, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
Nicola Ann Law
Auckland, New Zealand
Anders Christopher Skoe
Auckland, New Zealand
194,700 total shares
Trade Me Group Limited
194,700 shares · Wellington, New Zealand
Source: NZ Companies Office · Last checked July 2026
View on Companies RegisterAnalysis of notable corporate and institutional shareholders. Individual shareholders are excluded.
Trade Me Group
Trade Me Group Limited
Trade Me Group Limited holds all 194,700 issued shares in Trade Me Limited, which operates MotorWeb.
Apax IX GP Co
Apax IX GP Co Limited
Trade Me Limited's Companies Register record identifies Apax IX GP Co Limited, registration number 61043, as its ultimate holding company. It is registered in Guernsey.
Apax Partners
Apax Partners LLP
Traced via researchFunds advised by Apax Partners, alongside co-investors, acquired Trade Me Group Limited in May 2019 for approximately NZ$2.56 billion. Apax continues to classify Trade Me as a current investment. Apax Partners LLP should not itself be labelled the registered ultimate owner; that legal role is recorded against Apax IX GP Co Limited.
