Vehicle VIN check

What you get

• Where to find the VIN on the vehicle and on the V5C
• How to check the two match, which is the single most valuable thing you can do
• What a registration lookup returns, and what it does not
• Free MOT, mileage and tax history by registration

What a UK registration lookup does not return

The DVLA’s public vehicle enquiry service does not return the VIN, and neither does the DVSA MOT record. No online service can take a UK registration and show you the full VIN, because that is not published data.

This is worth stating plainly, because a number of sites sell a VIN check that is really a registration lookup with the word VIN on the button. If a site offers to reveal a vehicle’s VIN from its number plate alone, it is either not doing what it says or it is using a source it should not have.

The check that is actually worth doing

You do not need a service to check a VIN. You need to be standing at the vehicle with the V5C in your hand, and it takes a minute.

Read the VIN off the vehicle itself and compare it, character by character, with the one printed on the V5C. They must match exactly. This is the check that catches cloned and misrepresented vehicles, and no online lookup substitutes for it.

• Look at the base of the windscreen on the driver’s side, visible from outside.
• Check the driver’s door pillar, visible with the door open.
• Look under the bonnet, and under the boot floor beside the spare wheel.
• Compare what you find with the VIN in section 4 of the V5C.
• Treat a plate that looks disturbed, re-riveted, overpainted, or inconsistent between locations as a reason to walk away.

What the VIN itself tells you

The seventeen characters are structured. The first three identify the manufacturer and where the vehicle was built. The next six describe the model, body, engine and restraint system, in a scheme each manufacturer defines for itself. The tenth character is usually the model year, the eleventh the plant, and the last six are the serial number for that individual vehicle.

The letters I, O and Q never appear, precisely because they are mistakable for 1 and 0. If you are reading a VIN that appears to contain one, you have misread it, which is exactly why a character by character comparison against the V5C matters more than a glance.

What to run instead, and what it will tell you

For a UK vehicle, the registration is the useful key. It gets you the full MOT history, every recorded mileage reading, the tax status and the DVLA vehicle details, free, on this site, with no account.

Check that those details match the vehicle in front of you. If the DVLA record says a 1.6 diesel estate in blue and you are looking at a 2.0 petrol saloon in black, you have found something a VIN lookup was never going to tell you anyway.

Common questions

Can I find a car’s VIN from its registration number?

Not from any public UK source. The DVLA vehicle enquiry service and the DVSA MOT record both return vehicle details without the VIN. Any site claiming to reveal a VIN from a number plate alone is not doing what it says.

Where is the VIN on my car?

Most commonly at the base of the windscreen on the driver’s side, visible from outside. It is also usually stamped on the driver’s door pillar, under the bonnet, and under the boot floor. It is printed on the V5C registration certificate.

How many characters is a VIN?

Seventeen, on any vehicle built since 1981. The letters I, O and Q are never used, to avoid confusion with the digits 1 and 0.

What if the VIN on the car does not match the V5C?

Do not buy the vehicle. A mismatch, or a VIN plate that looks tampered with, can indicate a cloned or misrepresented vehicle. Report it to the police and to the platform it is advertised on.

What can I check for free on this site?

By registration: the full MOT history with every defect and advisory, every recorded mileage reading with the drops analysed, current tax and MOT status, and the DVLA vehicle details. No account is needed.

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