Rego lookup built into your workshop software

Type the plate and the vehicle fills itself in - make, model, year, VIN and the WoF date, straight from official NZ records, with the CoF date entered when it is renewed. No switching tabs, no copying details across, no mistyped VINs. Anything without a plate - trailers, machinery, boats - takes a VIN or chassis number instead, entered once and saved. Every new booking, job card and customer record starts with correct data.

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A vehicle file in Hoist: identity with rego and VIN, mechanical details, odometer, and WoF expiry

The cost of typing vehicle details by hand

  • Wrong data at the front door

    A mistyped model year or VIN at booking follows the vehicle through every job, invoice and reminder. Errors made at the counter are the hardest to find later.

  • The lookup tab shuffle

    Looking a vehicle up in one tab and re-typing it into your workshop system is double handling on every single new vehicle - a tax on every booking.

  • Records that start empty

    Without a lookup, a new customer’s record is only as good as what they remember about their own vehicle - which is often "it’s the blue one".

How rego lookup works in Hoist

  • Plate in, vehicle out. Type the rego at booking or on a job card and the vehicle’s details fill in automatically. New vehicles take seconds, not minutes.

  • No rego? No problem. Trailers, machinery, boats and anything else without a plate takes a VIN or chassis number instead - entered once and saved to the record.

  • Built into the workflow. The lookup happens where you’re already working - bookings, job cards, customer records - not in a separate tool you have to remember to use.

  • Records get richer over time. Vehicle details, job history, odometer readings and reminder dates all accumulate on the record - so imported or new vehicles become complete pictures, fast.

A Hoist work order: the customer, their Hilux with its WoF expired, and a pending front brake job with its labour and parts

What you get

  • Rego lookup built into bookings and job cards
  • Vehicle details filled automatically from the plate
  • No rego? Enter a VIN or chassis number instead
  • No tab-switching, no re-typing, no transcription errors
  • New customer vehicles set up in seconds
  • Correct data flows through to invoices and reminders
  • NZ vehicle data as a first-class feature

Common questions

Where does the vehicle data come from?
Hoist’s rego lookup pulls from the official NZ vehicle registry. Type a plate and the make, model, VIN and WoF date fill into the booking or job card automatically.
Do I need a separate account or subscription for lookups?
No. The lookup is built into Hoist, and it’s metered per lookup rather than sold as a separate product - see the pricing page for the current rates. A workshop can turn the lookup off if it’d rather enter vehicles by hand.
Does the lookup work when creating job cards?
Yes - anywhere a vehicle enters the system. Bookings, job cards and customer records all use the same plate-to-vehicle autofill.
What about vehicles already in my database?
Existing and migrated vehicle records keep working as-is, and lookups enrich vehicle data going forward - so imported records get more complete over time rather than staying frozen.
What if it doesn’t have a rego - a trailer, a digger, a boat?
You enter a VIN or chassis number instead. It’s saved to the record the same as a plate lookup, so trailers, machinery and boats get the same one-time setup and complete history as anything with a rego.

Related reading

Explore other features

Workshop Management SoftwareJob Card SoftwareWOF & Service RemindersBooking System & DiaryXero IntegrationInvoicing Software

Try it on your own jobs

Every part of Hoist is free for 14 days, or we can show you around first.

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