How to check if a car is stolen in the UK

Criminals often strip down stolen cars to sell their parts, as it's an easier way to profit without getting caught. However, not all stolen vehicles are dealt with in this way. Some end up back on the market, which is why knowing how to check if a car is stolen matters so much when buying used.

In the UK, buying a stolen vehicle can lead to legal complications, financial losses, and even police taking the car away. So, how can you tell if a car is stolen, and how do you run a stolen car check before you buy?

3 simple ways to check if a car is stolen

Buying a stolen vehicle offers no rewards. The original owner is likely still looking for it, and either you or the person who sold it to you will ultimately pay the price.

Thankfully, checking whether a car is stolen doesn't require any special connections or knowledge. Here are 3 things you can do right now to avoid the situation.

1. Use carVertical to check stolen car databases

Enter a car's registration number or VIN into carVertical app or website and get a vehicle history report, which can show if a car has been reported stolen. carVertical has access to various automotive data, including police stolen vehicle databases, state registries, and insurance companies. Even if a car was snatched abroad, the theft record can appear in the report (if the data is available).

If carVertical identifies a stolen vehicle, a warning message will appear under the “Theft” section of the report. It will show whether a vehicle has been recovered since or is currently wanted as stolen. You will also be able to see where and when the theft was registered.

2. Inspect the condition of VIN plates

Since a history report is one of the easiest ways how to check if a car is stolen, thieves often swap VIN plates so a stolen car no longer matches its theft record. Done well, the car can pass as the vehicle whose identity it has borrowed, sometimes right down to the paperwork.

If you suspect the car might be stolen but no theft record shows up, check the "Specifications" section of the carVertical report against the car in front of you. If the details don't match reality, consider it a red flag. Any differences might mean VIN tampering and need further research.

Manufacturers fix VIN plates in different ways, and the VIN is also stamped into the body or chassis. A plate shouldn't be cut, bent or loose, its fixings should look factory original, and every character should be clear.

Tampered VIN plates are easier to spot if you know what the original should look like. If a friend owns the same model from the same year, check theirs. The plate should look and be fixed the same way.

3. Ensure VINs match across the vehicle

VINs are usually found in a few common places on a car:

• At the base of the windscreen, usually visible from outside
• On a plate or label in a front door opening or pillar (check both sides)
• Stamped into the body or chassis, often in the engine bay or under a trim flap or carpet by a front seat
• On the V5C logbook

Take your time to gather all these numbers and compare them with each other. As GOV.UK advises, also make sure the VIN and engine number match the details on the V5C. If you've found different VINs, you may be looking at a stolen car, which is not worth the risk.

In this case, walk away and report it to the police on 101. A mismatched or falsified VIN is a major MOT failure, and selling a car under a false identity is likely to be fraud.

Free DVLA and MOT checks won't tell you if a car is stolen and here's why

When you look up a car registration on GOV.UK, you'll get a decent amount of information such as tax status, when the MOT runs out, make, colour, engine size, CO2 figure and the date the V5C was last issued. The free MOT history check adds test dates, results, mileage and advisories, and GOV.UK's vehicle recalls service tells you whether the manufacturer has found any safety issues. All of it can be useful, but none of it tells you if the car has been reported stolen.

In fact, stolen markers aren’t found anywhere on DVLA's public-facing services. Police record stolen vehicles on the Police National Computer, which the public can't search directly, although some private check providers can report a police stolen marker. Insurers also record theft claims on Vehicle Salvage and Theft Data (formerly MIAFTR), but it’s only open to approved organisations, and not private buyers.

That's why sites covering how to check if a car is stolen for free, or how to check if a car is reported stolen, can be misleading, as although the free government checks look official, they don't cover theft. Trading Standards advises getting a private history check to find out whether a car has been stolen, written off, or still has finance on it.

As the carVertical data sources page shows, history checks draw on more than 1,000 sources in 45+ countries, including national police databases and law enforcement records, so a theft reported in the UK or abroad can be picked up in a report when the information is available.

However, even a clean report doesn't guarantee a car has never been stolen. Theft data varies by country, and not every theft ends up on a database carVertical can see. However, it's a far more useful signal than a free government check, which shows no theft data at all.

How to tell if a car is stolen: warning signs to look out for

Databases are half of the job, and taking a closer look at the car and the seller is the other half. While it’s a crucial step, skipping this second half is one of the most common mistakes used car buyers make. None of the following signs proves a car is stolen on its own, but a group of them together is reason enough to walk away or dig deeper.

• The seller can't show you the V5C. A missing logbook, or one that's "been sent to DVLA", could mean the car is stolen. If you do see it, hold it to the light for the "DVL" watermark and check the serial number isn't between BG8229501 and BG9999030 or BI2305501 and BI2800000.
• The name and address don't match the logbook. DVSA's advice is to view a private sale at the address on the V5C, and Northern Ireland's Trading Standards Service says never to let a seller meet you halfway.
• The logbook was issued very recently. The free DVLA vehicle enquiry shows when the V5C was last issued, and a very recent date is worth asking about if the seller claims to have owned the car for years. It can be innocent, as people move house, but the answer should make sense.
• The records tell different stories. Compare the mileage in the free MOT history with the service book and the advert. Trading Standards suggests contacting the garages that stamped the book to confirm the visits.
• The price is out of step with similar cars. Buyers should be wary of prices well below market value, so check what similar cars actually sell for.
• It's listed on social media. Multiple Trading Standards have warned about stolen cars being sold through Facebook Marketplace and other social media sites.

Last year, we were also offered a car that appeared to be stolen. It was quite a nice model, the seller was willing to sell it for a suspiciously low price, and he also mentioned that the keys were lost. Our suspicions that something was off were confirmed by a carVertical check, which revealed a theft record. You can learn more about this case in one of our videos below.

How do people get away with selling a stolen vehicle?

Despite the risks, some individuals sell stolen vehicles to make quick money. You might be wondering, how is that even possible?

Careless buyers

Plenty of buyers still skip a VIN check, and that's exactly what sellers of stolen cars rely on. If you don't check a VIN when buying a used car, you make it much easier for a scam to slip past you.

Fake or altered VINs

Have you seen badly burnt or wrecked cars still drawing bids at salvage auctions? Some of these cars are beyond saving, and there's no point in restoring them. Yet some buyers still bid on them.

Why?

Many of these bidders want the car's identity, not the car itself. A thief who steals a similar model can fit the wreck's VIN plates and use its documents to shake off the theft record. This swap of identity from a written-off car onto a stolen one is known as ringing.

While many such criminals get caught, a ringed car can look clean on paper. That's why physical VIN checks matter as much as the report.

Scrapping for parts

Other thieves skip the paperwork and break cars up for parts in illegal workshops called chop shops. Around the 2000s, a Home Office task force estimated that around 40% of stolen cars that were never recovered had been broken up for parts.

Avoiding parts from a chop shop can be difficult, but checking a whole car before you buy it is much simpler. A VIN and history check won't make you immune, but it does close off many of the easier ways to get caught out.

What should you do if you've bought a stolen car?

Nobody likes finding out the car they bought was stolen. The good news is that, according to Citizens Advice, an honest buyer who reports it quickly won’t get into trouble.

However, since a thief has no right to sell the car, buying it doesn't make you its owner, regardless of how carefully you followed the usual steps for transferring car ownership. You should bear in mind that the police can take back a stolen car to return it to the original owner or their insurer, and you would have no automatic right to keep it.

Contact the police first

Citizens Advice says to call the police on 101 as soon as you suspect the car is stolen (999 only in an emergency). You should get a crime reference number and a property log number, which help when you ask for your money back. Don't keep driving the car, hand it back to the seller or sell it on, as that could be treated as handling stolen goods.

How to try to get your money back

Your options depend on how you paid and who you paid:

• The seller. If you bought from a trader, Citizens Advice says the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to a full refund. A private seller must also have the right to sell under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, but if they’ve vanished it’s obviously harder to recover money from them.
• Your card provider. If you paid by credit card and the car cost more than £100 and no more than £30,000, the card issuer becomes partly liable. Debit card holders can also ask their bank about a chargeback.
• Your bank. Since 7 October 2024, banks must usually reimburse people tricked into sending money to a fraudster by bank transfer, up to £85,000. Genuine civil disputes aren't covered, so always check with your bank.
• Your insurer. If you insured the car, tell your insurer straight away and ask what, if anything, the policy covers.

If none of these gets your money back, you could pursue it through court, typically the small claims track

What information can you find in a history report and how can you use it?

Besides a stolen car check, there are other important reasons to get a vehicle history report.

Vehicle history reports generally contain information that's vital to know (but not always given) before buying a used car, including:

• Activity: registrations, MOTs, ownership changes, etc.
• Mileage: periodic mileage changes that can reveal a mileage rollback
• Damage: records of past damage where available, including any insurance write-off history
• Financial and legal status: details about any financial or legal issues associated with the vehicle
• Specifications: the original specifications and equipment list
• Photos: sometimes reports include photos from insurance companies, auctions, and previous ads

This information can be extremely useful when negotiating with any used car seller. At worst, a history report will ease your mind before making a purchase. At best, it will help you get a much better price or dodge a complete scam. Check carVertical’s sample report to learn more about its features.