Car data checks

The V5 registration document, is issued by the DVLA. It gives the name and address of a vehicle's current owner as well as the last two registered keepers. It also lists the car's colour, make, model, engine number, and vehicle identification number.

The HPI document check provides you with significant added protection at no extra cost. In order to benefit from this service, you will need both the serial number and issue date of the V5 registration document.

There are many circumstances where the 'owner' of a vehicle is not the 'keeper' as recorded on the DVLA V5C document. These circumstances may include the vehicle having outstanding finance, being stolen, or showing on the security watch register.

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the manufacturer's own ID, found stamped onto a plate under the bonnet, under the carpet by the driver's seat and/or etched on to the windows.

Vehicles which are approved for sale in the EU have 17 digit VINs. Imports from outside Europe, such as Japan, may have short VINs. If you see a VIN which starts with the letters SABTVRO, take special care, because this VIN is assigned by a vehicle registration office when the original identity of a bodyshell or frame cannot be determined.

The number of grams of CO2 the vehicle emits. CO2 bandings only apply to cars first registered on or after 1 March 2001. If this vehicle is registered prior to this date, the Vehicle Excise Duty payable will depend on the car's engine size.

Aspiration

The method for getting air into the engine (ie, normal, turbo charged, super charged etc).

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A type of 'ringing', cloning takes the identity of a legitimate vehicle that is the same make and model as the stolen one by forging its vehicle identification number (VIN) and vehicle registration mark (VRM). This means there will be two or more cars on the road with the same identity. Like ringers, clones can be hard to spot, but take a close look at all the VINs, just in case.