Should V5 show all previous keeper details?
Discussion
I realise this info is available for a small fee if you write to the DVLA and have a valid reason for obtaining it however I feel it should be instantly available for anyone buying/selling a car.
I'm a used car dealer and I seem to be coming accross more and more cars with a high number of keepers - for example we have a 2009 car in stock with 5 previous keepers and a 2007 with 7. Luckily the previous owners of both cars had the full run down on the history.
My point is that many of these keeper changes aren't owner changes. Many cars are pre-registered by manufacturers, then they may be registered to a dealer before they are even sold to their first proper owner. Many insurance companies now insist that the V5 shows the main policy holders name so we now see husband/wives/sons/daughters changing keeper details yet living at the same address.
Dealers often register a car in their name to speed up deliveries during plate transfers or changes into/out of disability tax class etc therefore adding another layer.
I just feel that if the info was more visible it would be more helpful for everyone - the buyer and the seller and would present a truer history of the vehicle.
I'm a used car dealer and I seem to be coming accross more and more cars with a high number of keepers - for example we have a 2009 car in stock with 5 previous keepers and a 2007 with 7. Luckily the previous owners of both cars had the full run down on the history.
My point is that many of these keeper changes aren't owner changes. Many cars are pre-registered by manufacturers, then they may be registered to a dealer before they are even sold to their first proper owner. Many insurance companies now insist that the V5 shows the main policy holders name so we now see husband/wives/sons/daughters changing keeper details yet living at the same address.
Dealers often register a car in their name to speed up deliveries during plate transfers or changes into/out of disability tax class etc therefore adding another layer.
I just feel that if the info was more visible it would be more helpful for everyone - the buyer and the seller and would present a truer history of the vehicle.
Captain Muppet said:
If I wanted all the former keepers and addresses of some of my cars the V5 would have to be huge.
Also people move house, so an address someone used to have while they owned a car is pretty much usless, but the address of the person you're buying it from right now is actually useful.
You miss my point, the intention isn't to make it easier to contact previous keepers but to prove in many cases that the high number of keepers shown on a V5 is often in excess of the number of real owners. Also people move house, so an address someone used to have while they owned a car is pretty much usless, but the address of the person you're buying it from right now is actually useful.
crostonian said:
Many insurance companies now insist that the V5 shows the main policy holders name
I've never heard of this, my wife and I swap as insurance policy holder every year so we both keep our no claims active while only owning one car. Having to change the V5 everytime would put an end to this.goforbroke said:
I've never heard of this, my wife and I swap as insurance policy holder every year so we both keep our no claims active while only owning one car. Having to change the V5 everytime would put an end to this.
But when taking out insurance, one of the standard questions is "Are you the registered keeper of the vehicle?", so how do you deal with that?C.A.R. said:
It would definitely be better to have more clarity, as a private plate change will also show up as +1 registered keeper, fortunately I had paperwork to back me up when selling previous cars but buyers are sometimes put off by the number of former keepers.
A plate change doesn't effect the amount of registered keepers.calibrax said:
goforbroke said:
I've never heard of this, my wife and I swap as insurance policy holder every year so we both keep our no claims active while only owning one car. Having to change the V5 everytime would put an end to this.
But when taking out insurance, one of the standard questions is "Are you the registered keeper of the vehicle?", so how do you deal with that?crostonian said:
Captain Muppet said:
If I wanted all the former keepers and addresses of some of my cars the V5 would have to be huge.
Also people move house, so an address someone used to have while they owned a car is pretty much usless, but the address of the person you're buying it from right now is actually useful.
You miss my point, the intention isn't to make it easier to contact previous keepers but to prove in many cases that the high number of keepers shown on a V5 is often in excess of the number of real owners. Also people move house, so an address someone used to have while they owned a car is pretty much usless, but the address of the person you're buying it from right now is actually useful.
You've also missed my point about how huge V5s would have to be to list all former keepers - some of my cars have had two decades of former keepers before I bought them.
calibrax said:
But when taking out insurance, one of the standard questions is "Are you the registered keeper of the vehicle?", so how do you deal with that?
It usually says something somewhere along the lines of are you or your husband/wife the registered keeper of the vehicle. It's never been an issue before.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff