Vehicle guide
What should I do if a vehicle is recorded stolen?
A current stolen marker is a high-risk supplied-data finding. Do not pay, take possession of or move the vehicle while the marker is current. Keep yourself safe, preserve the report and advert evidence, and contact the police through an official route rather than confronting the seller or attempting to investigate the vehicle yourself.
A current stolen marker is a serious supplied-data finding. Personal safety and preservation of the available evidence take priority over questioning the seller or attempting to investigate the vehicle yourself.
Pause the transaction safely
- 1
Do not pay a deposit or purchase price, accept the keys, take possession of or move the vehicle while a current stolen marker is reported.
- 2
Do not confront the seller, accuse anyone of an offence or disclose more personal information than is necessary.
- 3
Leave the location if you feel unsafe; call 999 if a crime is in progress or there is an immediate danger.
- 4
A seller’s verbal explanation does not change the reported marker.
Preserve the available evidence
- 1
Save the vehicle report, report reference and exact check time.
- 2
Keep the complete advert, seller profile, messages, telephone numbers, payment instructions and viewing location.
- 3
Record the registration and any VIN already obtained without returning to the vehicle or putting yourself at risk.
- 4
Do not publish the seller’s personal details or conduct your own online accusation.
Contact the police through an official route
- 1
Use 101 or the relevant police force’s official online contact service when there is no immediate danger.
- 2
Explain that a vehicle offered for sale returned a current stolen marker and follow the instructions you are given.
- 3
Provide the preserved report and transaction details if requested.
- 4
Do not arrange another viewing, move the vehicle or attempt to recover property unless the police instruct you to do so.
If an error or old record is claimed
- 1
Do not treat the marker as corrected because the seller says the vehicle was recovered or the record is out of date.
- 2
Let the police, reporting data provider and relevant record owner establish the current position.
- 3
Only reconsider the vehicle after the responsible record owner or provider has documented the correction, a fresh check returns an explicit current clear result, and the identity documents and physical VIN agree.
- 4
A missing or unavailable result is not confirmation. If confirmation cannot be obtained, keep the result recorded as unresolved and do not proceed with the purchase.
Your practical checklist
Tick each item as you work through the vehicle, documents and evidence. An unticked item stays open—it does not become a clear result.
Useful sources and next steps
Questions buyers ask
Does a stolen marker prove the seller stole the vehicle?
No. It reports the vehicle’s recorded status and does not establish who was responsible or why it is being offered. Avoid accusations and pass the evidence to the police.
Should I ask the seller to explain the marker?
Do not confront the seller or attempt your own investigation. Preserve the evidence and follow police instructions, particularly if you are already at the vehicle.
Can I proceed if the seller says the vehicle was recovered?
Not while a current stolen marker remains. A recovered vehicle may require its record to be updated, but the seller’s explanation alone is not confirmation.
What if the stolen-data result was not returned?
Not returned is unknown, not clear. Decide whether another suitable provenance check is required before paying.
Check the vehicle in this guide
Start with the free official-data snapshot. We will keep anything not returned clearly marked as unknown.
What vehicle are we looking at?
Enter the registration, or upload a clear photo of the number plate. You will confirm anything read from an image before a check runs.
Images are processed only to find registration candidates and are not retained by Car Assistant. We do not extract other V5C details.