Documents to check when buying a used car

Registration document

The registration document (now called the V5C,) is a record of the last two registered keepers of the car and you must check it before you buy a car:

• Make sure that the person selling the car is shown as the keeper - ask for another form of ID to be sure. You should be viewing the car at the address shown on the registration document as well.
• Check the car's vehicle identification number (VIN) - it should match that on the registration.
• Check the details on the registration document match the car - there may sometimes be slight discrepancies in colour (this could be a genuine difference of opinion on when dark gray becomes black, or a sign of cloning). But everything else should match exactly.
• Make sure the form is genuine - it should have a watermark and not show signs of alteration. If you already have a car, take your registration along to compare, and make sure the fonts and positioning of information match. Check the registration document serial number against the list of stolen ones. If the serial number has been obliterated, walk away.

You'll need the registration to get a new tax disc. And while you can get a replacement if it's lost, don't accept this as an excuse when buying a car. You must see it before you buy.

MOT

Cars more than three years old must have an annual MOT. You can check up on MOT certificates post 2005 at www.motinfo.gov.uk. If there's a gap in the MOT history find out why. It may just be lost - or the car may have been off the road.

Service history

Ideally, you want to see a full service history, with receipts for any work (you can contact the garage to confirm any work without a receipt was actually done). The location of the garages should match what else you know about the car's history.