Checking the vehicle's current status

Stolen cars

The Police National Computer (PNC) is updated whenever a vehicle is reported stolen - that's 160,000 times a year - and sends these updates to AutoCheck daily.

AutoCheck searches PNC records to check the current status of the vehicle you're interested in. If it is reported as stolen we'll alert you and contact the police force that recorded the vehicle as stolen to find out the current situation. A vehicle's previous stolen status and when it was recovered will not be reported in your AutoCheck.

Why you shouldn't buy a stolen vehicle

You should never buy a car if it might be stolen. The original owner (or their insurer) is entitled to reclaim their vehicle, even if you bought it in good faith. Your only option would be to sue the seller - if you can find them (which is unlikely, given they are selling stolen vehicles).

Vehicles with third-party traces

The high-risk database is a way for finance companies (and sometimes the police or insurance companies) to trace and share information on vehicles that are stolen or have outstanding finance.

If the vehicle you're interested in is one of the 190,000 on the database, a third party has an interest in the vehicle and is trying to trace it and prevent it being sold.

AutoCheck searches the high-risk database for you - do not buy a vehicle that appears in it until our Service Support Team confirms that it is OK to do so.

Why you should beware of cars on the high-risk database

The high-risk database is a way for finance companies (and sometimes the police or insurance companies) to trace and share information on vehicles that are stolen or have outstanding finance.

If the vehicle you're interested in is one of the 190,000 on the database, a third party has an interest in the vehicle and is trying to trace it and prevent it being sold.

AutoCheck searches the high-risk database for you - do not buy a vehicle that appears in it until our Service Support Team confirms that it is OK to do so.

You run the risk of buying a car that's stolen (as with the PNC, above) or has outstanding finance (see below).

Vehicles with outstanding finance

When someone buys a vehicle on hire purchase (and some other forms of credit), they don't fully own it until they've paid off the money. This means they can't legally sell the vehicle - but that doesn't stop people trying.

AutoCheck can tell you whether a car has outstanding finance recorded against it. Half of new cars registered have finance secured against them - and one in four cars we check still has outstanding finance. This doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't buy it, but there are steps you should take to make sure you don't lose out.

Why it's risky to buy cars with outstanding finance

If you buy a vehicle with an outstanding loan or hire purchase agreement, the finance company retains a legal interest in it until the money is repaid in full.

The company will try to track down the vehicle and repossess it, unless you prove that you were what's called an innocent purchaser. Proving this can be an extremely difficult, lengthy and stressful process.

Insurance write offs: accidents and thefts

Insurers "write off" cars and other vehicles for two reasons:

• Damage write offs: The insurer thinks it's uneconomic to repair the vehicle. Some classes of damage write offs can be made safe to drive again.
• Theft write offs: The insurance company has paid out a claim because the vehicle was stolen - which means the insurer is now the legal owner. It's unwise to buy a theft-related insurance write off as the insurer can repossess the car.

AutoCheck can tell you if a car is an insurance write off.

Why you need to know if it was a write off

One in eight cars checked is a write off. Just because a car was written off, doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't buy it. But there are checks to make when buying a write off to make sure it's safe - and is owned by the person selling it.

Scrapped cars and Certificates of Destruction (COD)

Written off cars may also have been recorded as officially scrapped - if so, they are supposed to have been destroyed.

If it has been scrapped

It's safest to avoid buying a car that's scrapped. You can read more about scrapping cars on the Direct Gov website.

If it has a COD marker

All vehicles traded in under the Government 'Scrappage Scheme' and the worst category of write offs should carry a Certificate of Destruction (COD) marker and have been destroyed.

Inevitably there will be some that make their way back into the marketplace, but do be aware that the DVLA will never release a new V5C registration certificate.

Mileage anomalies

Unscrupulous sellers can try to get a better price for a car by clocking it - making it appear to have done fewer miles than it really has.

How AutoChecks helps you spot clocking

Our records can help you uncover clocking by checking the current mileage against previous records. We'll alert you if there are any odd figures (such as a later figure that's lower than an earlier one) - and this happens with one in 14 vehicles we check.

You can also cross check this data against MOT certificates and service records. Any discrepancies could mean the vehicle has been 'clocked' so it's worth making extra checks. Please note that, as it's not compulsory to supply mileage data, we don't have it for all cars.

Beware of cloned or ringed vehicles

A clone or ringer is a vehicle that has been given a false registration number and VIN - to hide the fact that it's been stolen. When this happens, the rest of the report will be for a different, but identical looking, vehicle. You can reduce the risk of buying a vehicle like this by following our buying advice.