A vehicle history check can show that a car's registered colour has changed at some point. It's often completely innocent, but it's worth understanding why, because a colour change is also one way to disguise a car's past.
Why the colour is on record
The colour is part of a car's identity on the V5C. If you change the colour of your vehicle, you must tell DVLA so the log book is updated, and you should tell your insurer too. So a genuine colour change should appear on the car's record and match the car in front of you.
Innocent reasons for a colour change
- A full respray after years of fading or damage.
- A new owner who simply wanted a different colour.
- A correction: the colour was recorded wrongly, for example “grey” instead of “silver”.
When a colour change is a warning sign
- The car doesn't match the record. If the record says blue and the car is red, and there's no recorded change, stop. That's a classic sign of a cloned car.
- A respray after accident damage. Paint can hide a repair. Check the write-off record and look for paint overspray on rubber seals and in the door shuts.
- Changes clustered together. A colour change, plate change and keeper change close together can be innocent, but the pattern is also seen with stolen cars.
How to check a resprayed car
- Open the doors, bonnet and boot: original paint is usually visible inside the shuts and under the rubber seals.
- Look for colour differences between panels in daylight.
- Ask who did the respray and why, and for the invoice.
- Check the colour on record and colour code matches the car.
What our report shows
The full history report lists recorded colour changes with dates and the colour code, alongside plate changes, keeper changes and theft records, so you can see how the changes fit together.
Key points
- Colour changes should be recorded with DVLA and match the car.
- A mismatch between the car and its record is a serious warning sign.
- Look at colour changes together with plate and keeper changes. See our guide to cloned cars.