Stolen Car Check
Owning a stolen car (even if you didn’t know it was stolen) is bad news. Not only is it likely to be impounded, but you could be facing a lengthy criminal and insurance investigation to prove your innocence and get your money back. The good news is, it’s super easy to check if a car’s stolen before you buy it. In fact it just takes a few seconds with our comprehensive vehicle history report using the Police National Computer database. Just type the reg into the box below.
Read moreWe're not just into cars, we also check:
Bikes
Vans
MotorhomesComprehensive Reports
Protecting you from scams and fraud
Fast and Accurate
Get an instant free car check report
Rated Excellent
Get an instant free car check report
What's included in our full car check report?
Why do you need a stolen car finance check?
You’ve bought a used car. It’s in good condition and runs well. And you got it for a fair price. Then you get stopped by the police.
The car, which turns out to be stolen, is impounded. You’re under suspicion - with the threat of investigations and potential prosecution looming. And you’re out of pocket.
According to research, a car’s stolen every 7 minutes in the UK. And that figure’s on the rise. A common misconception is that these cars are stolen by joyriders. In fact, the majority of them are stolen ready to be sold on. Which means the used car market is full of them.
“I didn’t know” isn’t a valid excuse
When buying a used car, the responsibility rests with you (the purchaser) to carry out due diligence on the vehicle to make sure it can be legally sold and bought (by you). Which is why it’s so important to check if a used car is stolen before you invest.
Driving a stolen car is illegal
Thanks to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, as soon as a car’s reported as being stolen, it stands a strong chance of being picked up by the police and seized. Running a stolen car check will stop you from wasting your money on a vehicle that’s likely to be taken away the first time you drive it . It will stop you from being the subject of an investigation by the police and your insurance company. And it could help reunite the car with its original owner.
You can’t tell by looking
A car may look clean. But that doesn’t mean its record or history is clean. Running a stolen car check will give you confidence in the car you’re about to buy. Confidence that it’s legally yours. Confidence that you can drive it without fear of being arrested or stopped by the police. And confidence that you’ve done all you could to check the car’s provenance.
Avoid unnecessary stress, scrutiny and financial loss
If your car’s impounded and / or returned to its original owner, you’re unlikely to get any compensation. Your insurer may cover some or all of what you paid, but this is by no means a certainty. Even if your insurance policy includes coverage for the purchase of stolen vehicles, the company will launch a lengthy investigation first. The purpose of this investigation will be to eliminate any possibility of insurance fraud, which is very common, by establishing whether or not the vehicle is genuinely stolen.
How our vehicle checks work?
Enter registration number
Simply type the car’s number plate into the input field above and click 'Check Now'.
Your registration number or number plate is also referred to as your VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark). It includes numbers and letters and is found on the front and rear of the vehicle.
Choose a report type
A free DVLA vehicle check report will be displayed. To source more information, choose from our standard vehicle check, full check or multi-check options.
Want to add more to your standard vehicle check, but don’t want the full check? No problem. Customise your report by selecting individual add-ons.
View your car report
After entering the required payment information into our secure checkout, you’ll be automatically redirected to your report.
We’ll also send you an order confirmation email with a link to your car check report, so you can access it anytime, anywhere.
In the car trade?
Get more checks and savings using our 'trade only' platform!
Exclusively for dealers, Car Reg Checks provides vehicle validation and history data, giving you and your customers peace of mind.
- Make informed decisions, fast!
- Everything you need to know!
- Your Brand - Our Report.
Stolen Car Check FAQ's
Car Reg Checks will find out quickly if the car you want to buy is stolen. All we need are the registration details to get a full history report of the car. Our report uses police records to officially confirm if a car is flagged up as stolen. With the information to-hand, you can decide if the car is right for you.
Our stolen car check comes as part of a package of comprehensive car checks. Choose to add it onto our standard check and, as well as finding out it’s stolen, it will let you know if it’s been scrapped or imported, if there’s any history of plate changes and what its MOT record is like. Upgrade to our full check and you’ll also find out if it has outstanding finance, get an idea of valuation and the number of previous keepers, and get the lowdown on its mileage history.
When buying a used car, the responsibility rests with you (the purchaser) to carry out due diligence on the vehicle to make sure it can be legally sold and bought (by you). Which is why it’s so important to check if a used car is stolen before you invest.
Our stolen car check extracts data directly from the Police National Database (PND). Using data from the PND we can tell you if the car has a stolen maker on it, the date it was reported as being stolen, and contact information for the police so you can report it. You’ll also get a range of other details, including the car’s MOT history and whether it’s ever been imported, scrapped, written-off or had its plate changed.
If you buy a vehicle that later turns out to be stolen, you don’t have the legal right to keep it. You need to let the police know straight away and inform the DVLA. You can then try and get your money back from the seller or your insurance company and claim back your vehicle tax. To do this you must get a crime reference number from the police.
No. You can’t simply return the car back to the seller as this is classed as handling stolen goods. You must report the stolen vehicle to the police straight away and get a report number.
Stolen cars are more common than you think. According to research, a car’s stolen approximately every 7 minutes in the UK. And the figure’s growing year on year. So, chances are you’re likely to stumble across at least one in your search for a used vehicle.
You’re entitled to expect that your seller has a 'good title' to the vehicle. This means that person selling the vehicle must own it.
Hundreds of happy customers.
As a community we bring you a vehicle history check you can trust and it's provided by Car Reg Checks!
This means that you can buy your next used car with confidence and reassurance, check out what our customers are saying about our service...
Excellent website and service
Excellent website and service! I needed peace of mind before buying a used car for my fiancé. Thank you!
Brilliant company and service
Brilliant company and service! I wanted to get a full check on a car I was buying, simple easy and quick 🚙
Informative and accurate reports
Car Reg Checks is informative and accurate. A good and reliable service that helped buy the car I wanted.
Fantastic service, a must use!
When you are about to spend your hard earned money on a second hand car, this service is a 'must have'.
Latest Guides
How to avoid buying a car with outstanding finance?
Published: 21 February 2021
With around 90% of private buyers using finance in any sort of way to purchase a new car, this is something...
Read more
How to check if a car has been in an accident or written off?
Published: 17 February 2021
The terms ‘accident’ and ‘written off’ can sometimes be used in a similar way to describe the status...
Read more
Buying a used car - What car checks should I look out for?
Published: 19 April 2021
When looking to buy a used car from a private seller, there are certain checks that you want to make...
Read more