Car Analytics provides a vehicle report that includes a police stolen vehicle check in the UK. Enter the vehicle’s reg number to check if the car has been recorded as stolen on the UK police national computer (PNC).
This vehicle history report will give you complete peace of mind. This is because these checks will provide you with a large amount of information that is not readily available to the general public.
It’s common for insurers to find an excuse not to pay – they are businesses that make money and employ risk assessors, so there would need to be an excellent reason for buying a stolen car and receiving a refund on the costs.
Even if you purchase a stolen car in good faith, the police can seize it.
As per the DVLA, a car gets stolen every 7 minutes. Thus, follow your expert advice of carrying out the stolen vehicle check before losing your hard-earned money.
An experienced car accident lawyer from ST. Louis says that getting into an accident with a stolen car can escalate legal troubles. You could face liability issues and criminal charges, complicating matters further.
Chances of finding stolen cars in the UK
Track stolen cars with VIN.
However, most online car check services provide the vehicle’s complete history through the reg plate. Our reports tell you when your chosen vehicle was stolen before, and its description is sourced from the PNC database. Other than this, you can confirm whether the car is stolen with the last five digits of the VIN shown on the report.
Compare the report with the car VIN (find where the vehicle VIN is present) to confirm it.
Why does a VIN look up? It is impossible to steal a vehicle through a VIN. However, knowing the full VIN might make it easy for burglars to apply for duplicate paperwork & use it for the theft of cars.
You have a car title. But your car was stolen.
A car title is a legal document (V5C document matches their driving licence) to prove that you are the vehicle owner, and it should have the DVLA watermark on it. The logbook is proof of ownership. When you lose the title, request a new registration document from the DVLA as soon as possible.
The logbook contains your vehicle details. Any modifications you make to the vehicle are recorded here. Once you lose the car but have a car title, report it to the police with this evidence.
When your car is stolen along with the V5C document, it is considered stolen. It may be risky as you need the logbook to prove you and your vehicle.
Is an abandoned car stolen?
The abandoned car in your street may or may not be stolen. Find if the car is SORN; don’t hesitate to report the abandoned vehicle. In some cases, owners leave the car SORN, but it gets stolen somehow. The consequences of such a situation are that the owner has to bear all the expenses as it doesn’t have insurance coverage. It means a stolen SORN vehicle might suffer significantly if they don’t keep insurance coverage. Hence, as a buyer, you should confirm the vehicle’s SORN period and tax status to know its history.
You must notify the DVLA that the insurance company has purchased your stolen car if your insurance provider pays out a claim for it. Additionally, you can submit to the DVLA the “notice of sale or transfer” V5C/3 section of your V5C registration certificate.
Police records
Once the vehicle is found lost, the first step is to raise the complaint. The stolen cars are recorded and stored in the Police’s National Computer database. The record reflects insurance as they mark it once it gets stolen, which will be flagged by ANPR once the stolen car moves to the road.
If it’s someone else’s vehicle, the police will return it and leave you with nothing.
If you buy a used car, check if the vehicle is stolen from online car check services. Our car check report is relatively low and flexible for all car buyers. Don’t worry about reliability, as the PNC provides the data. If the car is stolen/recovered, the police should notify the DVLA.
Is there a free stolen car check?
A few services with specific limitations provide a free stolen vehicle check. Providing a lot of information makes free stolen check services difficult. But don’t fall for the “FREE” stolen car check, as this type of car check is not free. So be cautious when the provider offers the stolen report for free.
What happens to my money if I purchase a stolen car?
It depends. In most cases, no. Suppose your insurance company does cover the purchase of stolen vehicles. In that case, they will look into the matter first (which may take several months) before determining whether or not to make the payment. They want to be sure that the car was stolen. Therefore, they will take measures to rule out any chance of fraud. Unbelievably, this sector also has a significant amount of insurance fraud.
Conclusion
When you choose to buy a vehicle without running a stolen car check, your decision might go wrong. Most buyers need to be aware of the consequences of buying such cars, as it is a loss of the amount paid and the vehicle itself. It is because you need to return someone’s vehicle.
Here are essential inspections you need to carry out to keep you alert about stolen cars in the UK. But more than knowing the stolen car’s status is required to decide your investment; check the vehicle history and choose to pay if it is worth the investment.
Answering your questions
What’s included in a stolen car check?
A typical stolen car check typically encompasses the following:
Verification of the VIN or chassis number.
V5C logbook verification.
Tax check.
MOT check.
However, the specific inclusions may vary slightly depending on the chosen service.
What’s the risk of buying a stolen car?
A stolen car will quickly show up on insurance databases as stolen, and when you take the vehicle out onto the roads, it will be flagged up by an ANPR camera, leaving you in a legal bind. The police have the power to reclaim stolen vehicles and return them to the rightful owner or insurer, and it’s likely you won’t be compensated.
How do I check if a car has been stolen?
You can determine if a vehicle has been reported stolen by inputting its registration number into a complimentary car check service. For instance, the gov.uk website offers essential vehicle information at no cost, allowing you to cross-reference it with details provided by the seller.
