Beware of stolen vehicle...

Beware of stolen vehicle registration certificates when you buy your next used car – that’s the warning from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). It has told consumers not to consider motors if the serial number of the reg document, also known as the V5C or logbook, falls between those in our table (below).

Crooks are using the missing paperwork to make stolen cars appear genuine by changing the documents to match an identical legitimate vehicle. Some history checks won’t reveal this, so it’s vital that you pay close attention to the V5C.

The all-important serial number can be found at the top right-hand corner of the registration certificate. If there is not a figure present, or if it looks as if it has been tampered with, the DVLA strongly advises buyers not to proceed with the purchase.

The stolen documents also have another tell-tale sign to distinguish them from legal paperwork. They feature a different background colour on the Notification of Permanent Export (V5C/4) tear-off slip, which appears on the second page.

Legitimate papers are coloured mauve on both sides, but the illegal ones are mauve on the front only, and pink on the back. To check the validity of a vehicle’s logbook, call the DVLA hotline on 0870 241 1878. Alternatively, car history checks carried out with the data specialists at HPI will automatically include a cross- check for the stolen V5s.

A spokesman for the firm said: “The theft of these documents is alarming, and will undoubtedly add to the growing number of stolen vehicles that are being cloned.”