Stolen car check
If you buy a stolen car you lose the car and the money — it returns to its rightful owner or their insurer, and your only recourse is against a seller who has usually gone. This is the one check where the downside is total, and it is the cheapest part of the report to run.
Free check first — the Pro report is the upgrade on your results page. See a sample report.
What the stolen check shows
Theft records held against the registration, and the wider high-risk markers that sit alongside them.
- Theft marker
- Whether the vehicle is currently recorded as stolen and not recovered.
- The date it was reported
- When the theft was logged, which frames everything else in the history.
- The police force holding the record
- Who to contact, with the reporting force's details where they are held.
- High-risk entries
- Other markers the industry records against a vehicle beyond theft itself.
- Read against the rest of the report
- A theft marker next to a recent plate change and a keeper change in the same month is a different story from a theft marker alone.
What it cannot tell you
A theft that has not been reported is not on any register, and there is a lag between a car being taken and the record appearing. A clean result is not proof the car in front of you is the car on the record.
It also cannot detect cloning on its own. A cloned car wears the identity of a legitimate vehicle, so the registration checks out — what gives it away is the VIN and the V5C not matching the record, which is why the report lists the identity fields to check against the physical car and the document.
Where this comes from
Police theft records and the insurance industry's theft register, queried against the registration as part of the Pro check.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What happens if I unknowingly buy a stolen car?
- The car is returned to its legal owner or their insurer. You do not acquire title from a thief, and buying in good faith does not change that. Your claim is against the seller.
- How do I check a car is not cloned?
- Match the VIN on the car — windscreen, door shut and often under the bonnet — against the V5C and against the registration record. A mismatch, a disturbed VIN plate, or a seller who will not show you the V5C are all reasons to stop.
- What should I do if a check comes back with a theft marker?
- Do not buy it and do not confront the seller. Contact the police with the registration and where you saw it advertised.
- Does a recovered stolen car still show?
- The theft record remains part of the vehicle's history. Whether it is still flagged as outstanding is what the marker tells you.