Find Car Owner by Registration Number UK

It can be quite difficult to find vehicle owner details using their number plate or VRM alone.

The DVLA treat this information with great care, which means you will need to go through a number of steps to access it.

If you are worried about a vehicle, it could be wiser to get in touch with your local authority.

You may need to do this if you have found an abandoned vehicle, for instance. Processes are in place to deal with this kind of scenario.

A Vehicle Previous Owners Check won’t tell you the registered keeper's name. It’s illegal for the registered keeper’s details to be disclosed without their permission unless there is a just cause.

The DVLA say a just cause could be when a parking charge company needs to penalise a registered keeper. An HPI check won’t tell you the registered keeper’s name or address. There may still be a way to identify the registered keeper’s details, but this will involve a substantial amount of effort.

How can I find out the address of a vehicle owner by number plate?

One step you can take to try and identify a vehicle owner’s address is to request information from the DVLA about a registered keeper if you believe to have “just cause” reason.

Learn more about the request of information from the DVLA website here

It’s unlikely that the DVLA will give you these details if you are worried about a vehicle that’s been left outside your house.

If you want the car removed, the best thing to do is to get in touch with the DVLA or your local council so they can deal with the situation.

If you have a legal dispute with someone and want to find out what their details are via the use of their registration number, you won’t be able to do this with any kind of “vehicle check” service. However, you could still get in touch with the DVLA and let them know what your problem is. The problem won’t normally be covered by the “just cause” clause, but you can still try.

When you complete the DVLA form to request personal information on a registered keeper, you will be asked why you need this data. The DVLA will need to decide whether they want to provide the information or not. GDPR legislation has made it a little harder for you to access this information.

What information can I access via a vehicle owners check?

Vehicle owner checks let you know how many registered keepers have owned your vehicle.

However, it won’t give you any details that allow you to personally identify these. You’ll get information on the date when the previous keeper bought and sold the vehicle, how many previous owners feature in the V5C logbook, the date the car was first registered and the model year of the vehicle.

Which details do I need to find a car owner by registration number?

If you want to find a car owner by registration number, you’ll need the registration number of the vehicle, the make, the model and the year of the car. You will also need the name and address of the car’s registered owner.

Then you fill out the DVLA V888 form on the Gov website here

What is the likelihood of finding a car owner with their registration number?

You can follow a few methods to find a car owner by their registration number. The likelihood of this being successful will depend on a range of factors. If the vehicle is registered in the UK, the DVLA will have information on who it is registered to.

However, these records aren’t easily available to the general public. If you want to access the information, you will need to carry out a ‘subject access request’ with the DVLA.

How long will it take for me to find an owner with their registration number?

If you only have the registration number and no other details about the vehicle or its owner, don’t expect the process of finding the owner to be an easy or short one. You will need to have a very good reason for asking for this information.

What can I do to find out who the previous owners are?

If you need to find out information on the previous owners of a used car and they aren’t held in the log book, try looking at the service records. Invoices might include details with names, addresses and phone numbers. Aside from this, you can complete the V888 and give a credible reason why you need this information.

Conclusion

We hope you found our guide on how to find a car owner in the UK using a vehicle registration number useful.

If you have any questions, then leave them in the comments, or email us at sales@carregchecks.co.uk.

Related guide: How to Check if a Car Has Been in an Accident