How To Find Number Of Owners For Car

The higher the number of previous owners a vehicle has had, generally the less valuable information technology volition be.

Some unscrupulous sellers may not be honest about the number of previous keepers that a motorcar has. Thankfully, in that location are several easy ways you can cheque this for yourself. Let's go through the four most common methods, and what to avert.

Step one: Enquire the question

It sounds obvious, but inquire the seller how many previous owners the vehicle has. In many cases they will know this already. And then ask the seller to evidence you the V5 logbook , and verify this against a vehicle information check from us (or elsewhere).

If the numbers mismatch past a wide margin, and then this is a possible scarlet flag. For example: the V5 log book says there are iv previous owners, but a vehicle cheque from us reveals at that place are in fact 7 previous owners.

This is more common than you might remember and is one method used by unscrupulous car dealers to inflate the asking price. If this happens to you lot, be prepared to walk away.

How do I check the number of previous owners?

If you want to search the history of previous automobile ownership there are a number of things y'all tin can do. Nosotros detail them here:

Order a motorcar data check for £9.95 and we'll cheque the number of previous owners (keepers) for you lot.
Check the V5 logbook yourself. Go through and look at this data (but make sure to cantankerous-bank check it with a vehicle cheque).
Go through any previous receipts left in the vehicle as this tin frequently show previous keeper details – like names and addresses. Make sure the dates tally. You could always contact them by post to ask specific questions, although they may non respond.
Complete course V888 via the DVLA – see how to do this below.

How do I check other details about previous keepers – names, addresses?

If you are looking for specific previous owner information, for case theirs names and addresses, then (aside from as described in betoken three above) these can but be requested from the DVLA (details hither).

Why should I pay when information technology's freely available?

If you're buying a used car, you're relying on the vendor to be at least partly truthful.

The name of the current keeper is covered by Data Protection and the DVLA do not release it to FreeCarCheck (or any other vehicle data check company). However, the names and addresses of the final ii keepers are shown on the V5C. And then ask for a copy – be assuming.

Annotation that this method isn't completely foolproof. It is a known scam among less-than-scrupulous individuals to keep dorsum an older copy of the V5.

While it is required to return older logbooks back to the DVLA, a lot of people don't actually carp. So make certain you're seeing the most contempo V5 logbook.

Don't forget that some V5 logbooks are also fake.

Allow us practice the hard work for yous

With a previous keeper check from FreeCarCheck for but £ix.95 per vehicle, FreeCarCheck will verify the exact number of previous owners of whatever auto, van or motorbike, and cross-check it with several government sources. This is called our "Previous Owners Check", quite simply.

The indicate of this check is to reassure you that the V5 logbook details are correct — and if they aren't, so it may highlight another problem. For instance, this may mean the vehicle has been stolen (nosotros will also do a stolen vehicle check every bit part of the same written report, likewise).

We source our information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when conducting a previous possessor check. Our reports provide highly accurate information, then you should verify that information technology matches the data provided by the seller.

The previous owner checks we practise here at FreeCarCheck come up included as standard with all our Premium reports, which is the cheapest fully-featured data bank check online (compare us here). Why risk being defrauded for the sake of a few quid?

💰 How many previous keepers is too many?

This really depends on the historic period of the vehicle.

For example, if the vehicle is a "classic" and is 25 years former, then it's clearly more likely to have a higher number of keepers, compared to a vehicle that is only 3 years old.

Mostly, in the Great britain, an owner will go along their motorcar for an boilerplate of about 71 months, or 6 years. Only this is just a guide.

And with the advent of vehicle finance and PCP, the average length of buying per vehicle is decreasing all the fourth dimension. Given that ~80% of all new cars are sold on PCP finance at present, the average number of keepers is on the increase. Why? Considering people are keeping their cars for less time than they previously would have. Nigh trade them in afterward 1-3 years.

Of course, in days of one-time, the common method to purchase a car was with cash. Merely at present that easy borrowing and low interest rates are all the rage, the car industry has gotten in on the human activity.

Here's an interesting fact: more than new cars are sold on finance than are sold by outright purchase (cash) – by a factor of 5 to one!

PS: Don't forget to read our divide guide on how to check if a car has any outstanding finance.