Help vehicle identity check required

[Stuw84]

Hi hope someone can help.

I've recently changed address and sent my car logbook to the DVLA. I've had a letter this morning saying I need to take my car for Vehicle Identity Check. It says they have been informed by the insurers that it has been accident damaged. I have owned the car nearly 5 years and I ran a text check when I bought it(can't remember what company though), nothing has ever come up before nor have I been in an accident with the car. The tax ran out at the end of the July which to be honest I didn't notice until they told me on the phone today as I normally get a reminder.
I spoke to the DVLA and they told me to speak with VOSA but they are closed until Monday.
Can anyone advise what I should do and why this has only happened now?
Thanks

[s p a c e m a n]

You've owned the car for 5 years and have received a tax reminder every year before now, have you ever managed to tax the car online without going to the post office? If I was you I would go outside with the logbook and check all of the vin numbers on the chassis and engine before I contacted VOSA to check that it was either a database error or something else, rather than you own something dodgy.

[Stuw84]

I'm not sure I've ever taxed it at the post office its always been online. The last time it was taxed must have been Jan or Feb as it ran at the end of July. I just didn't notice it as I normally renew when the reminder comes but I don't understand why I haven't had any other documentation about this until now since I've moved house.
The car was MOT'd at the end of March. I just don't understand where this has come from and its also annoying I cannot now use the car but also the trouble I could have gotten into in the last month or so driving the car around unknowingly. Would my insurance company be able to tell about when this "accident" was registered?

[s p a c e m a n]

It's definitely a new mark against the car then as you can't tax online a car with an outstanding identity check, you can do it at the post office though. There are only two outcomes to this, it's a database error or another vehicle with the same identity has recently been written off.

Those cheap text checks are generally crap but if the car had required a VIC when you bought it you would have never been able to tax it online, you won't be able to do it at the post office either if you still haven't got a V5 from the DVLA yet. You could try asking your insurance company, but I'm always nervous about notifying them of anything that could come back to bite me until I have to. A proper HPI check will tell you what's on the database.. https://www.hpicheck.com/ . I would be all over the car first checking the VIN numbers on the car match the V5 and haven't been tampered with first though.

I don't envy you, I can see a few hours of your life being spent on the phone between VOSA and the DVLA next week

[Stuw84]

Hi I was worried about contacting insurance first before vosa too. Unfortunately I can't check the vin numbers against logbook as the dvla have it but pretty sute would have done that when I bought the car and it was bought from a long standing dealer. The car is quite old now (2002) so surely this would have been long picked up before. The situation is quite frustrating and a bit worrying too.

[Steffan]

s p a c e m a n said:

It's definitely a new mark against the car then as you can't tax online a car with an outstanding identity check, you can do it at the post office though. There are only two outcomes to this, it's a database error or another vehicle with the same identity has recently been written off.

Those cheap text checks are generally crap but if the car had required a VIC when you bought it you would have never been able to tax it online, you won't be able to do it at the post office either if you still haven't got a V5 from the DVLA yet. You could try asking your insurance company, but I'm always nervous about notifying them of anything that could come back to bite me until I have to. A proper HPI check will tell you what's on the database.. https://www.hpicheck.com/ . I would be all over the car first checking the VIN numbers on the car match the V5 and haven't been tampered with first though.

I don't envy you, I can see a few hours of your life being spent on the phone between VOSA and the DVLA next week

Good advice. By the sound of it that must be the best approach. I would definitely check the vin on the car and V5. Unless something odd has happened sounds like an error after 5 years ownership. Best of luck.