How to check if a car is stolen
If a car is recorded as stolen, buying it in good faith does not make it yours. The rightful owner or their insurer can recover it, and your only claim is against a seller who is unlikely to be findable.
Updated 14 October 2026
What the check looks at
Vehicles reported stolen are recorded on the Police National Computer. A vehicle history check queries that record and returns whether the car is currently marked as stolen, the date it was reported, and the police force holding the report.
The marker stays until the car is recovered and the record updated. A recovered vehicle that was never formally cleared can still show as stolen, which is worth knowing before you accuse anybody of anything.
The signs that come before the check
A price noticeably below the market, with a plausible reason attached.
A seller who wants to meet somewhere other than the address on the V5C.
No service history, no old MOT certificates, one key.
A V5C that looks new on an older car, or whose serial number falls in a range DVLA has flagged as stolen blank documents.
Pressure to complete quickly, in cash.
None of these prove anything individually. Several together mean run the check before you go any further.
If a car comes back as stolen
Do not buy it, do not pay a deposit, and do not confront the seller. Leave.
Report it to the police force named on the record, with the registration, the advert, and where you saw the car. You are helping someone get their car back.
If you have already bought it: contact the police immediately, contact your insurer, and take legal advice. Voluntarily reporting it is very much better than being found with it.
Checking before you travel to see it
Run the check on the registration in the advert, before you drive anywhere. It costs less than the fuel to go and look, and a stolen marker means you never make the trip.
If the seller will not give you the registration until you turn up, that is the answer. There is no legitimate reason to withhold it. It is visible on the car in every photograph a genuine seller would post.
An Odomint Check returns the stolen marker, the date it was reported and the force holding the report, alongside outstanding finance and write-off history in the same report.
Cloned cars, which the check also helps with
Cloning is putting a legitimate car’s identity on a stolen one, same make, model and colour, copied plates. The stolen car then looks clean under that registration.
The defence is the VIN. Check the number stamped on the car itself against the record and the V5C. On a cloned car they will not match, and that mismatch is often the only visible sign.
Common questions
What happens if I unknowingly buy a stolen car?
You generally acquire no legal title. The car can be recovered by its owner or their insurer, and you would need to pursue the seller for your money.
Can I check if a car is stolen for free?
The police stolen marker comes from the Police National Computer and is part of a paid vehicle history check. Free checks show MOT, tax and mileage but not theft records.
How do I spot a cloned car?
Compare the VIN stamped on the vehicle, base of the windscreen or under the bonnet, with the V5C and the vehicle record. On a clone they will not match.
Check any car before you buy it
MOT history, every advisory and the full mileage record are free for any UK registration. An Odomint Check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, stolen markers and salvage history, with a £10,000 data guarantee.