How to Reveal If You Are Purchasing a Stolen Vehicle: Stolen Car VIN Check

24.06.2015

The last thing a car shopper wants is to purchase a stolen vehicle or those on hire purchase agreement. If a car you want to purchase is stolen, the police are most likely to return in to owner. If your car appears to be on hire purchase, it can be freely returned to the creditor or lender. Whatever the case, you are not guaranteed to be paid any compensation.

Here is how to check if a car is stolen:

The registration document contains spelling mistakes and/or any alterations
The seller refuses for some reason provide the vehicle registration
There are no watermarks on the registration
The owner’s name on the registration doesn’t coincide with those on the passport/driving license of the owner
ID numbers on the registration do not coincide with the corresponding numbers on the vehicle
The seller doesn’t have the insurance policy.

Another reliable way to check if the car you’re considering was stolen is to use car VIN decoder which can give youall the valuable information about a car, including its features and full history report. If the seller is offering a stolen car, VIN check will easily reveal this.

Why the Seller May Not Be Able To Show the Registration

You may hear a common excuse that the V5C registrationis being updated. In case the seller has just changed the place of residence, this may be true. However, be suspicious. Don’t make any deals with this seller until you get the documents.

Another excuse you may hear is that the owner has just purchased this vehicle and the registration V5Cis with the DVLAto update the ownership. In such a case, the owner should be given a green slip that they can provide.

Checking the ID Numbers, Stolen Car VIN Check

Ensure that these numbers on the vehicle coincide with those on the registration:

Vehicle registration mark
VIN number, commonly located on the dashboard and/or on the engine
Number of the engine.

If the number doesn’t coincide, go away from this suspicious deal and inform the police, as the vehicle is likely to be stolen.

How to Reveal That the Vehicle is Owned By a Lender

Run a history check to ensure that your car if free from any financial deals. Use VIN number decoder free and you will easily reveal if this vehicle is on hire purchase and does not actually belong to its seller. This car can be freely taken back by the lender, and you have no guarantees that you get any compensation.