Chassis Number Check: Check a Car's Chassis Number by Reg or VIN

A chassis number check confirms that the number stamped into a car is the number the records hold for it. Enter the registration in the search box above, or choose "VIN / Chassis No." and type the 17-character chassis number itself. The free check shows the DVLA record (make, model, colour, fuel type, engine size, year, tax and MOT status) and every MOT test since 2005 with its mileage. The full report then shows the chassis number (VIN) recorded against the registration, to compare character for character with the plate on the car and section E of the V5C, together with the stolen marker, write-off, finance and keeper records held on it.

How do I check a chassis number for free by reg?

1. Enter the registration in the search box above. If you only have the chassis number, switch the box to "VIN / Chassis No." and enter that instead: for a UK-registered vehicle the free check finds the registration it belongs to.
2. Compare the free result with the car. If the make, model, colour, engine size or year differs from the car in front of you, stop there.
3. Read the chassis number off the car yourself, not from the advert.
4. Get the full report to see the chassis number on record, and whether the car is recorded stolen, written off or on finance.

What is a chassis number, and is it the same as the VIN?

Yes. The chassis number and the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) are the same 17-character number on any vehicle built since 1981. "Chassis number" is the traditional UK name, used on the V5C log book and by most garages and sellers; "VIN" is the international one. On a motorcycle it is the frame number. The engine number is different: it is stamped on the engine block, held separately, and changes if the engine is replaced.

A car can have several registrations in its life but only one chassis number, which is why it is the number that proves identity. A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q; if the number you have been given includes one, or isn't 17 characters on a post-1981 vehicle, it has been misread or made up.

Where is the chassis number on a car and on the V5C?

• Windscreen: a small plate at the bottom of the glass on the driver's side (sometimes the passenger side), readable from outside.
• Door pillar: a sticker or plate on the driver's door shut or B-pillar.
• Under the bonnet: the VIN plate on the slam panel, inner wing or bulkhead.
• Stamped into the body: often under a carpet flap by a front seat or in the boot floor. This is the one that matters most: a plate can be swapped, a stamping is hard to alter without leaving marks.
• V5C log book: section E, "VIN/Chassis/Frame No.", shows the number the DVLA holds.

Every location should agree with the others and with the V5C. Our guide shows where to find the VIN on a car and how to check it matches.

Chassis number check free vs the full report

The free check tells you what the DVLA and DVSA hold for the vehicle; the full report tells you whether the car in front of you is that vehicle, and what else is recorded against its chassis number.

See it laid out in the sample car history report, and each record in detail on the stolen car check, written off car check and outstanding finance check pages.

DVLA chassis number check: what the DVLA record holds

The DVLA holds a chassis number against every registration and prints it in section E of the V5C, but there is no public DVLA service that takes a chassis number: GOV.UK's vehicle enquiry asks for the registration and shows tax and MOT status, not the chassis number. So a "DVLA chassis number check" in practice means two things:

• Checking the DVLA record by reg. Our free check shows the DVLA details for the registration, which you compare with the car and the log book; the log book check explains how to tell whether the V5C you are shown is the current one.
• Checking by chassis number. Our search box accepts the chassis number directly and finds the UK registration it belongs to. If it returns no UK vehicle, the number has never been registered here, has been read wrongly, or is not genuine.

Chassis number decoder: what the 17 characters mean

A chassis number has a fixed structure, so any 17-character VIN can be decoded even without a UK record:

The whole 17 characters is the chassis number, not just the serial section. For a vehicle never registered in the UK, such as an import you are considering, the free VIN decoder reads the structure make by make, including the model year codes.

How much does a chassis number check cost?

Checking a chassis number against the DVLA record costs nothing here: search by reg or by chassis number as often as you like, with no account. The chassis number match itself, with the stolen, write-off, finance and keeper records held on it, comes from the Experian record, so it is part of the paid full report; the price is shown next to the search box. A registration check is enough to confirm a car exists and see its MOT history; anyone paying thousands for a car should see the chassis number on record before paying. If you are starting from a VIN you already have, the VIN check covers the VIN-to-reg lookup in more detail.

Cloned cars: what a mismatched chassis number means

A cloned car is a stolen or unregistered vehicle wearing the plates, and sometimes the paperwork, of a legitimate car of the same make, model and colour. Search the registration and everything looks right, because you are reading the genuine car's record. The chassis number is where the clone fails: the number on the car does not match the number on record. Ringing goes a step further and moves the VIN plate of a written-off car onto a stolen one, so the plate matches but the stamping, or the write-off history, gives it away.

Signs to look for when you view the car:

• The chassis number on the windscreen plate differs from the door pillar, the stamping or section E of the V5C, even by one character.
• A VIN plate with fresh rivets, new paint around it, or a stamping that looks ground down and restruck.
• The seller's name or address does not match the V5C, the price is well below the market, and a quick cash sale is pushed.

If the chassis number on the car does not match the record, do not pay a deposit: a mismatch without a documented reason means walk away, and if you believe the car is stolen, tell the police on 101. Our guide explains how a VIN check protects you from cloned cars.

Chassis number check FAQs