How to Check if a Car Is Stolen Before Buying

Step 1: check the registration

A full history check reports whether the vehicle is recorded as stolen. Do this before you travel to view the car, not after you have fallen for it.

Step 2: match the VIN in three places

1. The VIN plate, usually visible at the base of the windscreen.
2. The stamped VIN, often under the bonnet, in the door shut or under the boot floor carpet.
3. The VIN printed on the V5C logbook.

All three must match exactly. Scratches, overpainting, rivets that look disturbed or a VIN plate that sits unevenly are serious warning signs of a cloned vehicle.

Step 3: check the paperwork and the seller

• The V5C should be in the seller's name at the address where you are viewing the car.
• Check the V5C serial number is not within a range DVLA has reported stolen.
• Ask for photo ID and proof of address that matches.
• Be wary of meeting in a car park, a service station or 'a friend's house'.
• Only one key, no service history and no MOT paperwork together form a pattern.

A price far below market value is the single most common feature of a stolen or cloned car sale. If it seems too good to be true, it is.

What to do if you are suspicious

Walk away and report your concerns to the police on 101, or anonymously through Crimestoppers. Do not confront the seller. If you have already bought the car, contact the police immediately — coming forward promptly is important.

Combine this with a finance check and a write-off check; the same report covers all three. Start with a free check on the homepage.