V5C Logbook – What Is a Vehicle Logbook?

A V5C is the UK vehicle registration certificate. People usually call it the logbook, or the registration document. The DVLA issues it. It identifies the vehicle and names the registered keeper.

It is not proof of ownership. The keeper is the person responsible for the vehicle’s registration, which is often the owner, but a logbook on its own does not prove they are.

What does V5C mean?

V5C is the current name of that certificate. Older keepers sometimes still say V5. The job of the document is the same: a record of the vehicle and the keeper, held by the DVLA.

Official instructions for getting, updating or replacing one sit on GOV.UK: vehicle log book. Use that page if you need the current DVLA process. Fees and processing times change, so this guide does not repeat them.

What information does a V5C contain?

A current logbook typically shows:

• Registration number
• Make, model and colour
• Vehicle identification number (VIN)
• Engine number, where it is recorded
• Date of first registration
• The registered keeper’s name and address

VehicleScore does not display the keeper’s name or address. A registration check is not a copy of the logbook.

Why buyers compare the V5C with the car

Read the registration, VIN and colour on the document against the car in front of you. They should match. A mismatch is a reason to stop, not a detail to sort out after you have paid.

A car registration check can show the vehicle identity, MOT history, tax status and mileage we hold for that plate. Use it beside the logbook. It does not validate the paper, and it does not tell you the seller is the keeper.

Where we hold it, the free check can include the date the V5C was last issued. That is a date on the vehicle record. It is not confirmation that the document you are holding is genuine.

The V5C/2 new keeper slip

The V5C/2 is the new keeper slip, the section the seller gives the buyer when the vehicle changes hands. The seller tells the DVLA. The buyer does not rely on the old keeper’s full certificate as their own logbook.

Buying and selling steps are on GOV.UK: telling DVLA you have sold or bought a vehicle.

If the V5C is missing or looks wrong

A missing logbook does not, by itself, mean the car is stolen. It does mean you should slow down. The registered keeper requests a replacement from the DVLA. Start from the official logbook page above rather than a copied form.

If you are trying to tax the car before the replacement arrives, that is a different process. See taxing a car without a V5C. An MOT test is also separate: you can often get an MOT without the logbook.

If the details on the V5C do not match the car, do not assume the document is simply out of date. Check the VIN on the vehicle against the certificate, and do not complete the purchase until that is explained.

What VehicleScore can and cannot do

We do not offer a V5C checker. We do not verify, scan or certify the physical logbook.

• The free check shows vehicle, MOT, tax and mileage information for a UK registration, where we hold it, plus the last V5C issue date when that date is on the record.
• A paid Hidden History check can add keeper counts and V5C issue dates when the data provider returns them. It still does not authenticate the document.
• Keeper names and addresses are not shown.

Use the logbook, the car, and a registration check together. None of those three replaces the others.