Checking the previous owners of a used car
Car ownership checks
Who owns a car registered with DVLA?
What owner checks should I make before buying a used car?
Running a car owner check could save you time, money and difficulties down the road. The results of your ownership check (before you purchase) may sway your decision to buy, or not.
Car Owner Data Checks
Type a registration number for a free report
What's Included in a Report?
A CarVeto report provides the nearest online data relating to car owner information.
Included in each report:
- Complete periods of ownership for all keepers since new
- Number of previous keepers
- Current keeper acquisition date
- Current keeper ownership period
- The previous keeper sold date
- The previous keeper acquired date
- Last V5C issue date
- Registration data
- DVLA record of registration city or postcode AREA
(Full name/address NOT provided due to data protection)
Additional checks:
CarVeto searches over 50 data points to provide a vast report on any UK vehicle:
- Mileage
- Theft
- Write off
- Colour changes
- MOT history
- Scrapped
- History of plate changes and dates of transfers
What are the myths about car ownership?
Note that the registered keeper does not necessarily own the car.
From a legal stance, the owner is the person who paid for the vehicle.
The DVLA logbook (registration document) holds personal details about the motorist responsible for safety and legal roadworthiness.
When looking at a V5 logbook and checking the number of previous owners (see image) notice if the car has one, two, three, four or more previous owners.
Get an instant CarVeto Car History Check for all the information about a used car.
Car ownership
Remember, this number is based on previous owners and does not account for who owns the car.
Example:
You notice that the car you want to buy is four previous owners from new.
You need to include the existing owner in that tally. If you buy the vehicle you are the sixth owner, not the fifth. When you come to sell the car the new owner will be the seventh.
CarVeto Car Reg Check searches and returns information about previous ownership.
Do dealers advertise the wrong number of car owners?
Have you ever noticed that a car advertised online as one owner from new is actually one previous owner?
Now we know that if you were to buy the car, you’d be the third owner.
Wow, it makes quite a difference.
If you encounter this mistake, apply some leverage and get a few more pounds from the screen price.
What is best-practice when it comes to previous owners?
Intelligent car buying involves more than buying a genuine car with good value for money.
It’s also good to consider the car's value when you want to sell it and any potential difficulties you might face should you wish to sell quickly for something like actual market value.
One element that car buyers look at is the number of previous owners. From our best car history check tests and experience, a car with more than four previous owners seems difficult to sell.
4 Owners or more = a hard sell
The car owner check parameter we recommend is 2 previous owners or fewer.
Of course, various factors such as age, mileage, condition, service history, and whether the vehicle has changed ownership within the same family must be considered.
But, a good general benchmark is the maximum of the fourth owner.
Whoever owns the car next, five owners is a hard sell, as the buyer never wants to be the sixth owner. They’ll be selling a seven-owner vehicle, making the process pretty difficult.
How can I run a car owner check investigation?
If you want to search the history of previous car ownership, there are some things you can do.
- Look at the names and addresses of previous and existing owners printed on the V5C logbook. Write to the old owners and ask questions.
- Look through the service records and see if there are any old receipts or invoices for maintenance work. Check the names and addresses on those invoices. You can write to the old owners and ask your questions (when was the cam belt last changed/was the car reliable? Etc)
- To request information about a vehicle, complete a V888 form via the DVLA. The DVLA reserves the right to decline your request, but it is worth a try.
- CarVeto Car Checker. We search and return all available data about used cars in the UK, including a car owner check. We might hold some information that is otherwise unavailable to you. Our platinum check is just £12.90 and is a great asset for any used car.
Frequently asked questions
CarVeto data comes from leading motor industry brands including DVLA. We provide a free DVLA check that confirms vehicle details, road tax and MOT information and car insurance checks. Our premium service includes complete online history, such as mileage history and write-off status checks.
No. Data compliance laws (GDPR) prevent sharing personal details such as names or addresses that appear on the DVLA Logbook.
A DVLA registered keeper can be found on the V5C log book. A legal owner is the individual who paid for the car with a supporting sales invoice, receipt or bill of sale. Learn more about a Registered Keeper vs Legal Owner.