Does a V5C prove ownership?

Registered keeper and owner: the difference

The registered keeper is the person responsible for the car for letters and notices from the police and DVLA. Ask the Police says the keeper will usually be held responsible for things like parking tickets.

The owner is the person who paid for the car, or was given it as a gift. Often they're the same person, but not always:

• Company cars. The company owns the car, but the V5C may name the employee who drives it.
• Leased cars. The lease or hire company is usually the registered keeper, and the finance company behind the lease owns the car.
• Hire purchase (HP). Citizens Advice says you don't own a car on HP until the last payment is made.
• Couples. Ask the Police says that when a married couple uses a car, ownership is usually classed as joint.

What a V5C does tell you

The V5C shows who the registered keeper is and the car's details, such as its registration, VIN and engine number. At a viewing, it helps you check that:

• the VIN and engine number on the car match the log book
• the details match the vehicle record on GOV.UK
• the log book has a "DVL" watermark and its serial number isn't in the stolen ranges GOV.UK lists
• the log book is the latest one (GOV.UK's free vehicle information service shows the date the last V5C was issued)

It doesn't tell you whether there's finance on the car, or whether the keeper has the right to sell it.

When the seller isn't the registered keeper

There can be a simple reason, such as a partner selling a shared car. But ask why, and get a clear answer before you go further:

• Ask who owns the car. If it's a company, lease or finance car, the person in front of you may not be able to sell it.
• Check for finance. With HP, the finance company owns the car until it's paid off. Read how to check a car for outstanding finance, and if the seller says they'll pay it off from your money, read what to do when the seller says they'll clear the finance.
• Ask for something that links the seller to the car, such as the receipt from when they bought it.
• Don't buy without the V5C. DVLA advises that you shouldn't buy a vehicle that doesn't have one.

If the answers don't add up, walk away.

How to show the car is yours after you buy it

The V5C will name you as keeper once the change is registered, but keep your own record of the purchase as well:

• A signed receipt with the date, the price, the buyer's and seller's names and addresses, the registration, the VIN and the mileage.
• Your payment record, such as a bank statement or card receipt.
• The green "new keeper" slip the seller gives you. The seller should then register the car to you online, or send the V5C to DVLA by post.
• Your new V5C. GOV.UK says it usually arrives within 4 weeks, or within 5 to 7 working days if the seller registered the change online. When it arrives, check all the details are right.

Can I find out who owned the car before?

Not by name, in most cases. GOV.UK says you can ask DVLA for the details of another vehicle's registered keeper only with a "reasonable cause", and gives examples such as finding out who was responsible for an accident or tracing the keeper of an abandoned vehicle.

You can ask DVLA, for free, for the information it holds about you, your current vehicle or a vehicle that used to be registered in your name. That's a subject access request.

A vehicle history check can show how many keepers a car has had and when it changed hands. See how keeper history appears in a CarCheckHQ report: it shows keeper counts and dates where our sources return them, not previous keepers' names or addresses.

Common questions

Is a V5C proof of ownership?

No. It names the registered keeper. Ask the Police says a registration document "is not proof of ownership", and the keeper and the owner can be different people.

Can I buy a car from someone who isn't the registered keeper?

You can, but ask why they aren't the keeper and who owns the car. Check for finance and ask for proof that links them to the car. If the answers don't add up, don't buy it.

Who owns a car on finance?

With hire purchase, the finance company owns the car until the last payment is made. With a lease, the finance company owns it and the lease company is usually the registered keeper.

What counts as proof that I own a car?

Keep a signed receipt with the date, price, both names and addresses, the registration and VIN, plus your payment record. Your new V5C shows you're the registered keeper, which is separate from ownership.

Should I buy a car without a V5C?

DVLA advises against it. Without the log book, you can't check the document against the car, and you'll have to apply to register the car yourself.

Can I find out who owned my car before me?

Usually not by name. DVLA only gives out another keeper's details for a "reasonable cause". You can ask DVLA, for free, what it holds about a vehicle that's registered in your name.

What this guide can't tell you

This is general information, not legal advice. Who owns a car depends on the facts of each case, such as who paid, any finance agreement and any company or lease arrangement, and neither a V5C nor a vehicle history check can settle that on its own. If ownership is disputed, get advice from Citizens Advice or a solicitor. For the other checks to do before you buy, see our used-car buying checklist.

Sources

• Ask the Police: Is there a difference between the registered keeper and the owner of a vehicle?
• GOV.UK: Check a used vehicle you're buying
• GOV.UK: Vehicle registration: new and used vehicles (the new keeper slip, when the new V5C arrives, not buying without a V5C)
• GOV.UK: Request information about a vehicle or its registered keeper from DVLA
• GOV.UK: Get vehicle information from DVLA
• Citizens Advice: Buying a used car (hire purchase, the log book)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. CarCheckHQ is independent and isn't linked to DVLA or the police.