How to check who the registered keeper of a car is before you buy it

The short answer

Ask to see the original V5C log book before you talk about money, and check three things against it: that the name and address on it belong to the person in front of you, at the place you are standing; that the car's registration, vehicle identification number and engine number match the log book; and that the log book itself is genuine, with a DVL watermark and a serial number outside the two stolen ranges GOV.UK lists. Then put the registration into the free DVLA vehicle enquiry service and compare what it says with the paperwork, including the date the current log book was issued. If anything does not line up and the seller cannot explain it, that is the end of the viewing. GOV.UK's buyer checklist is the source for every step below.

Step one: the log book in your hands

The V5C is the DVLA record of who is responsible for the car. It is not a certificate of ownership, and a genuine log book in the wrong hands proves nothing, which is why the person matters as much as the paper; our V5C guide explains what the document does and does not tell you. GOV.UK says to ask to see it, not a photograph of it, and to make sure it has a DVL watermark. Then read the serial number: GOV.UK warns that a serial between BG8229501 and BG9999030, or between BI2305501 and BI2800000, may be a stolen blank, and says to call the police as soon as it is safe to do so.

Now the details. The registration, the vehicle identification number (on a plate at the base of the windscreen and usually stamped under the bonnet or in a door shut) and the engine number should all match the log book exactly. A seller who does not know where the VIN is on their own car, or who is reluctant to let you look, has told you something.

Step two: the DVLA record

The free vehicle enquiry service shows, for any registration, the date the car was first registered, the year of manufacture, the engine size, fuel type and CO2 figure, the tax and MOT position, and the date the last V5C was issued. It does not show the keeper's name; GOV.UK says that requires writing to the DVLA, on form V888, and only with a reasonable cause such as an accident or an abandoned vehicle. Wanting to buy the car is not one.

So use what it does show. Every detail should match the log book and the car. The log book issue date is the quiet one: a V5C issued a few weeks ago on a car the seller says they have owned for years needs a reason, because a fresh log book is what a thief or a fraudulent seller applies for when they do not have the real one. The MOT history, also free, gives you the mileage at every test to lay beside the odometer and the service book.

Step three: the person and the address

1. View at the address on the log book. A seller who wants to meet in a car park, a lay-by or outside a friend's house, when the V5C gives a home address, is the pattern behind most cloned and stolen car sales. Go to the address, and notice whether the car looks as if it lives there.
2. Ask for identification that matches. A driving licence or a utility bill with the name and address on the V5C. Most honest sellers expect to be asked.
3. Ask how long they have had it. The answer should fit the date on the V5C and the keeper history the log book shows. A car bought a month ago and sold again is not always wrong, but it needs a story that holds.
4. Watch who signs. The person who signs the log book over to you should be the person named on it. A seller acting for a relative or a friend needs that relative or friend on the phone, and ideally present.

If something does not match

Walk away, calmly, and do not hand over any money or a deposit to hold the car. If you believe the log book is stolen or the car is not what it is claimed to be, GOV.UK says to call the police on 101, or on 999 if a crime is in progress or anyone is in danger. If you have already paid and the seller has disappeared, report it to Action Fraud and tell your bank at once. Keep the advert, the messages and any photographs of the paperwork; they are the evidence.

When the sale is genuine, the seller tells the DVLA online that they no longer own the car, which changes the registered keeper and sends a new log book to you; keep the green new-keeper slip until it arrives. The tax does not come with the car, so tax it before you drive it home. If the seller has no log book at all, GOV.UK's advice is to apply for one yourself on form V62 for £25, as the page read on 3 November 2026; most buyers would rather not buy a car that arrives without one.

What this does not mean

A matching log book, record and address make a genuine sale very likely; they do not make the car a good one. The V5C says nothing about condition, outstanding finance, write-off history or whether the mileage is true, and a seller can be exactly who they say they are and still be selling a car with problems. The other articles in this series cover those checks one by one. This one is the first, because if the seller is not the keeper, none of the rest matters.

Sources and method

This article contains no MOT statistics. It follows the checks on the GOV.UK buyer pages as they read on 3 November 2026, including the V5C watermark and serial-number warning quoted from GOV.UK, and the police contact lines from GOV.UK. The MOT reliance notice below applies to the MOT history this article tells readers to use.

• GOV.UK: Check a used vehicle you're buying
• GOV.UK: Buy a vehicle, step by step
• GOV.UK: Get vehicle information from DVLA
• GOV.UK: Request information about another vehicle or its registered keeper
• GOV.UK: Vehicle log book (V5C)
• GOV.UK: Buying or selling a vehicle
• GOV.UK: Contact the police
• Action Fraud

This article is general information drawn from published test records. It is not professional, mechanical or legal advice, and an MOT pass or a clean MOT history does not guarantee that a car is roadworthy today. If you are unsure about a car, have it inspected by a qualified mechanic. You can check any vehicle's MOT history free on the official GOV.UK MOT history service.