Free V5C Logbook Check by Registration
Enter a registration and the free report shows the date the current V5C was issued and whether the car is marked for export, next to its full MOT and mileage history. The £4.99 history check adds the keeper count and the date of every keeper change.
Short answer: there is no way to view a V5C online, yours or anyone else's. DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service shows the last log book (V5C) issue date alongside tax, MOT, SORN and export status, but not the document and not the keeper's name, and the paper V5C can only be replaced online, not viewed. Enter the reg above and the free report shows the V5C issue date and export marker straight from DVLA, with the MOT and mileage record beside them. The £4.99 premium report adds how many keepers the car has had and when each change happened, which is the only way to know whether the last V5C was issued for a sale or for something mundane.
Last updated 15 September 2026. Data: DVLA and Experian AutoCheck via CarCostCheck.
Can I view my V5C online?
No. DVLA does not offer a digital copy of the V5C. What it offers online is a vehicle enquiry service that reads from the same record the V5C is printed from. Enter a registration and it shows vehicle tax (the current rate and when it expires), SORN status, when the MOT expires, the date the vehicle was first registered, the last log book (V5C) issue date, year of manufacture, type approval category, weight, engine size, fuel type, emissions (CO2, real driving emissions level and European status) and export status. Nothing on that list identifies the keeper, and the service says you must write to DVLA to request information about the current or previous registered keeper.
What you can do online with a V5C is administrative: tell DVLA you have sold or bought a vehicle, change the address on the log book, and order a replacement if you are the registered keeper and the details have not changed. If you need to confirm your own V5C details and the paper copy has gone missing, a replacement is the only route.
Our free report pulls the DVLA fields above, including the V5C issue date and the export marker, and puts them next to the MOT history and mileage timeline from DVSA, so you can see in one place what the record says about the car and how it has been used.
What does the V5C issue date tell you?
Every time DVLA prints a V5C, the issue date on the record moves. A new certificate is issued when the registered keeper changes; when the keeper's name or address changes; when a vehicle detail such as colour, engine, fuel type or body type is updated; or when the keeper applies for a replacement. When you buy a car and the seller registers it to you online, DVLA says your new V5C should arrive within 5 to 7 working days; by post, it usually arrives within 4 weeks of the vehicle being registered.
For a buyer, the date is a cross-check. Ask the seller how long they have had the car, then look at the date. Agreement is reassuring. A V5C issued far more recently than the claimed purchase date has an innocent explanation more often than not (a house move, a replacement for a lost one), but it is exactly the kind of thing to ask about, and the keeper change dates in the £4.99 report show whether the last issue was a change of keeper or something else.
A very recent V5C on a car that is already being sold again also lines up with the recently changed hands flag in the premium report. That combination does not condemn the car, but it does mean the seller has had little time to learn its faults, so the MOT advisories and mileage pattern in the free report carry more weight.
How to check a V5C is genuine
DVLA's guidance for used-car buyers is short and specific. Ask to see the V5C. Make sure it has a DVL watermark. Check that the serial number is not between BG8229501 and BG9999030, or between BI2305501 and BI2800000; if it is, the V5C might be stolen, and DVLA's advice is to call the police as soon as it is safe to. Then check the details in the log book match what you have been told, and that the vehicle identification number and engine number on the car match the log book.
Some background on why those serial ranges exist. In 2006 a batch of blank certificates was stolen after being rejected by DVLA and returned to the supplier, and vehicles were stolen, cloned and sold to consumers using some of them. DVLA responded by redesigning the certificate. The red V5C replaced the blue one from 15 August 2010 for newly registered vehicles and registration changes, and from July 2011 the remaining vehicles were moved onto the new design as they were re-licensed. The colour change was deliberate: DVLA said the new certificate would make it clear the document is not proof of ownership.
Two further checks cost nothing. The V5C should be in the seller's name, and you should be viewing the car where they say they live. And the VIN on the V5C should match the VIN on the car in at least two places (through the windscreen and on the door pillar or under the bonnet). The premium report verifies the VIN against the record and flags a mismatch, which is a walk-away, not a negotiating point.
Buying a car without a V5C: what to do
DVLA's position is blunt: it advises that you should not buy a vehicle that does not have a V5C. A missing log book is the most common cover story for a car the seller does not have the right to sell, and it removes your easiest check that the person in front of you is the registered keeper.
If you go ahead anyway, you cannot be registered as keeper online, because the online service depends on the log book. You have to download form V62 (application for a vehicle registration certificate), post it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD, and pay £25; the new V5C usually arrives after 4 weeks. The fee is waived only if you send the green new keeper slip from the most recent V5C, which you will not have if the seller had no log book. DVLA also tells buyers to tax the vehicle immediately using that green slip, so expect that step to be harder too.
Before any of that, run the £4.99 history check. A seller with no V5C and a car that shows outstanding finance, a keeper change in the last few months, a recent plate transfer or a stolen marker is a combination to leave alone, whatever the price.
How to get a replacement V5C
If you are the registered keeper and nothing on the certificate needs to change, apply online or by phone. It usually costs £25, paid by credit or debit card, and the replacement usually arrives by post within 5 to 7 working days. You need the registration number, the VIN or chassis number, and the name and postcode as they appear on the V5C. The online service runs Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday 7am to 8pm, and the fee cannot be refunded once you have used the service.
Apply by post with form V62 instead if you need to change the vehicle details, if you did not get a V5C for a vehicle you bought, or if you do not have one and took the vehicle out of the UK. Post it to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD. By post the replacement usually arrives after 4 weeks. No fee applies if you send the green new keeper slip from the most recent V5C; otherwise it is £25.
One timing rule catches people out. If you bought a car and the new V5C has not arrived, contact DVLA before 6 weeks have passed. If you have not notified DVLA after 6 weeks, you have to pay £25 to get a replacement.
What the V5C does not prove
Ownership. In DVLA's words, buyers often mistakenly believe the V5C to be proof of ownership of a vehicle, and this is not the case. It shows the registered keeper, the person responsible for the vehicle in DVLA's records. Ask for proof of ownership, for example a bill of sale, on top of it, and let the outstanding finance check tell you whether a lender still has an interest.
Mileage. The log book is not where the mileage record lives. The mileage trail for a UK car is its MOT history, where every test since 2005 records the odometer reading; the free report lays that out as a timeline and flags readings that go backwards or jump.
History. Nothing on the certificate tells you whether the car has outstanding finance, has been written off by an insurer, has been reported stolen or has been scrapped. Those sit on separate databases (Experian for finance, MIAFTR for write-offs, the Police National Computer for theft) and are what the £4.99 premium report checks.
Condition. A pristine V5C says nothing about the car. Read the MOT advisories, look at the mileage pattern, and get the car inspected if the money is significant.
Free check vs the £4.99 premium report
Free
£0, no signup
- Date the current V5C was issued (from DVLA)
- Export marker and outstanding recall flag
- DVLA record: make, colour, fuel, engine size, CO2, Euro standard, type approval
- Tax status and due date, MOT status and expiry, first registered
- Full MOT history back to 2005 with the mileage timeline
- Running costs, insurance group and a free valuation range
Premium history check
£4.99 or £6.99 with valuation
- Number of previous registered keepers
- Date of every keeper change, so you know whether the last V5C was a sale
- Average ownership length and a turnover pattern flag
- Plate transfer history and colour change history
- Stolen (Police National Computer), outstanding finance, write-off Cat A/B/S/N
- VIN verification against the record, scrapped marker
Neither report shows a keeper's name or address, and neither is a copy of the V5C document itself.
How it works
Enter the reg
Type any UK registration into the search bar. No signup, no V5C reference number needed.
We fetch the DVLA record
The free report pulls the V5C issue date, export marker and vehicle details from DVLA, plus every MOT test from DVSA.
Compare it with the paper
Check the V5C in front of you matches the record, then add the £4.99 keeper history if you want to know what the last issue date means.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check a V5C online by registration?▼
You can check the record behind it, not the document. DVLA's free vehicle enquiry service shows the last log book (V5C) issue date, tax, SORN and MOT status, first registration date and the vehicle's details, but there is no online viewer for the V5C itself and it shows no keeper details. Our free report includes the V5C issue date and export marker from DVLA alongside the MOT and mileage history.
What does the last V5C issue date mean?▼
It is the date DVLA last printed a log book for the vehicle. A new V5C is issued when the registered keeper changes, when the keeper's name or address changes, when vehicle details such as colour or engine are updated, or when a replacement is ordered. A recent date is a reason to ask the seller a question, and the keeper change dates in the £4.99 premium report tell you whether it was a change of keeper.
How much does a replacement V5C cost?▼
DVLA's replacement service usually costs £25, paid by credit or debit card, and the fee is not refundable once used. If you are applying by post with form V62 and you send the green new keeper slip from the most recent V5C, no fee applies.
How long does a replacement V5C take?▼
Applying online or by phone, DVLA says you will usually receive the V5C by post within 5 to 7 working days. Applying by post with form V62, you will usually receive it after 4 weeks.
How do I know if a V5C is stolen or fake?▼
DVLA's guidance for buyers is to make sure the V5C has a DVL watermark and that the serial number is not between BG8229501 and BG9999030, or between BI2305501 and BI2800000. If it is, the V5C might be stolen and DVLA says to call the police as soon as it is safe to. Also check the details in the log book match what you have been told and that the VIN and engine number on the vehicle match it.
Is it safe to buy a car without a V5C?▼
DVLA advises that you should not buy a vehicle that does not have a V5C. If you do, you cannot register it online. You have to send form V62 to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1DD with the £25 fee, and the new V5C usually arrives after 4 weeks. Run the £4.99 history check before handing over money, because a missing log book is the classic cover for a car the seller has no right to sell.
Is the V5C proof of ownership?▼
No. DVLA says buyers often mistakenly believe the V5C to be proof of ownership of a vehicle and that this is not the case. It shows the registered keeper. DVLA's advice is to ask for proof of ownership, for example a bill of sale, and the outstanding finance check in the premium report tells you whether a lender still has an interest in the car.
Does the free check show who the registered keeper is?▼
No, and no legitimate service does. DVLA does not release keeper names or addresses online. To request them you must write to DVLA using form V888 and show reasonable cause, such as tracing the keeper of an abandoned vehicle. The free report shows the V5C issue date; the premium report shows the keeper count and the date of every change, never a name.
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Check the V5C issue date on any car, free
Enter any UK reg for the DVLA record, MOT history and mileage timeline. No signup, no V5C reference needed.