How to avoid buying a stolen car

If you buy a stolen car, you will usually lose it. The car goes back to its owner or their insurer, and your money is gone unless you can recover it from the person who sold it to you. So the checks happen before you pay. Meet at the address on the V5C, check the V5C watermark and serial number, match the VIN on the car to the logbook, and run a vehicle history check for stolen markers. If any of those fail, walk away and, if it is safe to, tell the police.

A stolen car is not always sold with false plates and a nervous seller in a car park. It can come with clean-looking paperwork and a believable story. The checks below are what catch them.

The warning signs

Any one of these can have an innocent explanation. Two or more together should stop the sale.

• A price well below similar cars. The commonest bait. Compare with other adverts for the same model, age and mileage.
• A seller who will not meet at the address on the V5C. A car park, a service station or "my mate's place" means you cannot tie the seller to the car.
• No V5C, or a brand new one. A missing logbook, or one issued in the last few weeks, deserves a question. The DVLA vehicle enquiry service on GOV.UK shows the date the last V5C was issued.
• Signs of tampering around the VIN. Scratched characters, new rivets, glue or a sticker that looks newer than the car.
• Keys that do not match. One key only, a key that looks newer than the car, or keys that do not open every lock.
• Damaged locks or ignition. Scratches around the door lock, a loose ignition barrel or a missing trim panel near it.
• Pressure to pay fast. "Someone else is coming at five", or a request for cash or a bank transfer before you have seen the paperwork.
• The seller does not know the car. They cannot say when it was serviced, what the MOT found or how long they have had it.

The checks before you travel

Ask the seller for the registration number, the make and model, and the MOT test number. Then:

1. Check the DVLA record on GOV.UK. The make, fuel type, engine size and year of manufacture should match the advert.
2. Check the MOT history. The model and colour should match, and the mileage should rise steadily. A car with a long, steady MOT history in one area that is suddenly being sold at the other end of the country is worth a question.
3. Run a vehicle history check. It shows whether the car is recorded as stolen on police records, alongside finance and write-offs. GOV.UK services do not show stolen markers. Our guide on how to check a car's history explains what each check covers.

The checks at the viewing

The V5C watermark and serial number

Ask for the original V5C, not a photo. GOV.UK says to check that it has a "DVL" watermark, and that the serial number is not between BG8229501 and BG9999030, or between BI2305501 and BI2800000. These ranges are blank V5Cs that were stolen. If the serial number falls in either range, GOV.UK says the V5C might be stolen and you should call the police as soon as it is safe to. Our V5C logbook guide shows where the serial number is.

The VIN and engine number

GOV.UK asks buyers to check the vehicle identification number and the engine number against the logbook. Find the VIN in at least two places on the car: at the base of the windscreen, on the door pillar, or stamped into the body. Every one must match the V5C. Our VIN guide shows where to look and what tampering looks like.

The person and the address

The name and address on the V5C should be where you are viewing the car, and the person selling it should be the keeper named on it, or able to explain why not. Ask to see some ID. A genuine seller will understand.

The keys and the paperwork

Ask for every key the car came with, the service book and recent invoices. Check that the names, addresses and mileages on them fit together.

Stolen or cloned?

A stolen car is often sold under a false identity. Thieves copy the plates and details of a similar legal car, so that the DVLA record and the MOT history look clean. The VIN stamped into the car is the giveaway, because it belongs to the stolen car. Our guide to cloned cars covers this in detail.

Why you lose a stolen car

Under section 21 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, a person who buys goods from someone who does not own them, and does not have the owner's authority to sell, generally gets no better title than the seller had. A thief has no title. So a buyer in good faith usually has no right to keep a stolen car, however much they paid and however honest they were.

This is different from finance. A private buyer of a car that was on hire purchase may be protected by the Hire Purchase Act 1964, as our guide to outstanding finance explains. That protection does not extend to stolen cars.

If the police take a car from you, your claim is against the person who sold it. If you bought from a dealer, the dealer had no right to sell the car and should refund you. If you bought privately, you may need to pursue the seller, which is often hard. Keep the advert, the messages, the receipt and the record of your payment.

If you think a car is stolen

• Do not confront the seller and do not hand over money.
• Leave, and contact the police when it is safe to. Use 999 if a crime is happening now, otherwise 101.
• Give them the registration, the advert and what you saw.

Frequently asked questions

How can I check if a car is stolen?

Run a vehicle history check, which checks for stolen markers, and do the checks at the viewing: the V5C watermark and serial number, the VIN against the V5C, and the seller's address against the logbook.

What happens if I buy a stolen car without knowing?

You will usually lose the car. A buyer generally gets no better title than the seller had, and a thief has none. Your claim is against the seller, so keep all the records of the sale.

Which V5C serial numbers are stolen?

GOV.UK lists BG8229501 to BG9999030 and BI2305501 to BI2800000. If the serial number is in either range, do not buy the car.

Is a car with no V5C stolen?

Not necessarily, but it is a risk. See our guide to buying a car without a V5C.