Imported Car Check: Check If a Car Is Imported
Enter a registration or VIN to see whether the DVLA holds an import or export marker against the vehicle.
What the DVLA record holds
What Is an Imported Car Check?
An imported car check reads the DVLA record for the markers that say a vehicle has crossed a border. An import is not a fault, and plenty of good cars carry one. What it changes is the history you should expect to find, because a car's life before it reached the UK leaves almost no trace in British databases. The check tells you which markers the vehicle holds, so you know which questions to put to the seller. It runs alongside the rest of the record in a full vehicle history report.
The Imported Marker
Whether the DVLA has recorded the vehicle as imported, meaning it was first registered abroad and brought into the UK afterwards.
Imported From Outside the EU
The record separates EU imports from the rest. A non-EU import, most often Japanese, is the one most likely to differ from the UK model it resembles.
The Exported Marker, and Its Date
An export marker means the DVLA was told the vehicle left the country. Finding one on a car being advertised here is worth resolving before you pay.
Used Before UK Registration
Whether the vehicle was already on the road abroad before its UK plate was issued. That is the mileage and MOT history no UK database will show you.
Easy as 1-2-3
How It Works
Enter the Registration
Type the number plate, or the VIN if the vehicle has not been given a UK plate yet. We confirm the make, model and year first, so you can see you are looking at the right car before going any further.
Open the Import Record
A small one-off fee unlocks the full report. The imported and exported markers sit in it alongside outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, recorded mileage and previous keepers, so you are not buying four separate checks to answer one question.
Know What to Ask
Every marker is explained in plain terms: what an import means for insurance and parts, which paperwork a genuine seller will have ready, and which parts of the vehicle's history no UK database can show you.
On your phone
How Do I Check If a Car Is Imported?
A V5C will not always make it obvious, and a seller who bought the car second hand here may not know themselves. The DVLA record does know. Enter the plate and the answer is on screen in seconds, with the rest of the vehicle's history alongside it.
- Not Imported
- Not Exported
- MOT Valid
- Year
- 2019
- Colour
- Blue
- Fuel
- Petrol
- Engine
- 1,997 cc
Find the Registration
Any UK-registered vehicle has one. If you are looking at a fresh import that has not been given a UK plate yet, enter the VIN instead.
Run the Check
We confirm the vehicle first, so you can see you are checking the right car, then read its import, non-EU import and export markers.
Read the Flags
Each marker comes with what it means in practice: what to verify, what paperwork a genuine seller will have, and where the history gaps will be.
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Inside the report
What an import marker changes about a car
The import and export panel is open first. An import is not automatically a problem, but it changes the history you should expect to find, and the gaps it leaves are worth understanding.
Is the vehicle still on finance?
If a lender still has an interest in the vehicle, they can repossess it from your driveway. The seller keeps your money.
- Searched against
- The UK finance register
- Agreement types
- PCP, HP, lease, unit stocking
- Report shows
- Agreement type, date and status
- Recorded by
- The lender, not the seller
Source: UK Finance Register
Has it been written off?
Insurers record a category when a vehicle is damaged badly enough to be uneconomical to repair. Cat S and Cat N vehicles can legally return to the road.
- Searched against
- MIAFTR, the insurance loss register
- Categories covered
- A, B, C, D, S and N
- Report shows
- Category, and the date of loss
- Also covered
- Salvage and total-loss records
Source: MIAFTR
Does the mileage add up?
Every MOT reading is on record. A reading that goes down, or a jump that does not fit the pattern, is the clearest sign of a clocked vehicle.
- Readings used
- Every MOT reading on file
- Looking for
- Readings that fall, or jump
- Report shows
- The full run of readings, in order
- Also covered
- Average miles a year
Source: DVSA MOT history
Is it recorded as stolen?
A car reported stolen and never recovered stays flagged on the Police National Computer. Buying one means losing the vehicle and the money.
- Searched against
- The Police National Computer
- Marker covers
- Vehicles reported and not recovered
- Report shows
- Whether a theft marker is held
- Also covered
- The vehicle's registration status
Source: Police National Computer
How many hands has it passed through?
Frequent keeper changes can mean a problem car being passed along. The V5C record shows every change of keeper since first registration.
- Source record
- The DVLA keeper record
- Report shows
- How many keepers it has had
- Dates given
- First registration and last change
- Also covered
- How many V5Cs have been issued
Source: DVLA
Has it crossed a border?
An import can be fine, but it changes the history you should expect to find, and an exported marker on a vehicle still being sold here is a red flag.
- Markers checked
- Imported and exported
- Covers
- Vehicles first registered abroad
- Report shows
- Which marker is held, and when
- Also covered
- Whether UK history starts late
Source: DVLA
Has it been scrapped?
A certificate of destruction means the vehicle should not exist on the road. Vehicles with cloned plates borrow the identity of scrapped vehicles.
- Markers checked
- Scrapped, and destroyed
- Covers
- Certificates of destruction
- Report shows
- Whether the record was closed, and when
- Also covered
- Whether the VIN matches the record
Source: DVLA
Has the plate been changed?
Plate changes are legal and common, but they are also how a past identity gets buried. The full history lists every registration the vehicle has worn.
- Source record
- The DVLA registration record
- Report shows
- Every plate the vehicle has worn
- Dates given
- The date of each change
- Also covered
- Personalised plates added and removed
Source: DVLA
What does the MOT record say?
Every test, pass, failure and advisory since the vehicle's third year. Advisories are the useful part: they are a mechanic telling you what was already wearing out.
- Tests listed
- Every test on record
- Report shows
- Result, date and mileage for each
- Also covered
- Advisories and reasons for failure
- Goes back to
- The vehicle's third year
Source: DVSA MOT history
Is there an outstanding safety recall?
Manufacturers issue recalls when a fault could be dangerous. The work is free, but it only happens if somebody books it in, and a recall can sit unactioned for years.
- Searched against
- The DVSA recalls database
- Report shows
- Recalls affecting this vehicle
- Also covered
- Recall history for the model
- Cost to put right
- Free, at a franchised dealer
Source: DVSA recalls database
Has it been resprayed?
A recorded colour change can be a personal choice. It can also be how accident repairs or a previous identity stop being obvious at a glance.
- Source record
- The DVLA vehicle record
- Report shows
- Every recorded colour change
- Dates given
- The date of each change
- Also covered
- The colour at first registration
Source: DVLA
Does the vehicle match its paperwork?
The VIN on the vehicle should match the one on the record. When it does not, you are looking at a cloned or altered identity, and everything else in the history belongs to a different car.
- Compared
- The VIN against the DVLA record
- Report shows
- Whether plate, VIN and record agree
- Catches
- Cloned and altered identities
- Also covered
- How many V5Cs have been issued
Source: DVLA
What will it cost to tax?
The rate depends on emissions and registration date, and the difference between bands is large enough to change which vehicle you should buy.
- Source record
- The DVLA tax record
- Report shows
- Tax status, and the date it runs out
- Rate given
- The annual rate for this vehicle
- Based on
- Emissions and registration date
Source: DVLA
What is actually under the bonnet?
Engine size, power, fuel type and economy, taken from the manufacturer record rather than the advert. Useful for checking a listing describes the vehicle it is actually selling.
- Taken from
- The manufacturer record
- Report shows
- Engine size, power and fuel type
- Also covered
- Economy, emissions and gearbox
- Useful for
- Checking the advert is accurate
Source: Manufacturer data
What will it cost to keep?
Fuel, servicing, insurance group and tax in one place, so the monthly cost of owning the vehicle is visible before you commit to it rather than after.
- Report shows
- Fuel, tax, insurance and servicing
- Fuel worked out from
- The vehicle's own economy figures
- Adjustable
- By the mileage you actually drive
- Also covered
- Typical service and MOT costs
Source: Car Owl running-cost model
What will it be worth later?
What the vehicle is worth now and what it is likely to be worth in three years. Depreciation is usually the largest single cost of owning a vehicle, and the easiest one to ignore.
- Report shows
- What the vehicle is worth today
- Ranges given
- Private sale and trade
- Projected to
- Three years ahead
- Based on
- Age, mileage and market data
Source: Car Owl valuation model
What has happened to this vehicle?
Keeper changes, MOT tests, mileage readings and plate changes on one timeline. Patterns that are invisible in a list of dates tend to be obvious once they are in order.
- Events shown
- Keepers, MOTs, mileage and plates
- Ordered by
- Date, from first registration
- Also covered
- Stretches with no record at all
- Drawn from
- DVLA and DVSA records
Source: DVLA and DVSA records
What should you check in person?
A checklist built around this specific car, including what its own MOT advisories say to look at. It turns a viewing into something you can work through rather than guess at.
- Built from
- This car's own MOT advisories
- Also built from
- Known faults for the model
- Report shows
- What to check, in viewing order
- Includes
- Questions to ask the seller
Source: Car Owl
Also in every full report: VIC marker · Unpaid loan records · Common faults and typical repair costs · Fuel cost calculator · Priority support · 100% money-back guarantee
What the markers mean
Import and Export Markers Explained
A marker on the record is a fact, not a verdict. What matters is what follows from it, and that is different for each of the three you might see.
What does an 'imported' marker actually mean?
It means the vehicle was first registered outside the UK and brought in afterwards. That is the whole of it. Imports arrive for ordinary reasons: someone moved here and brought their car, a model was cheaper or only sold abroad, or service personnel were posted to the UK. What follows is practical rather than sinister. Ask to see the import paperwork and the DVLA registration, check the speedometer reads in miles per hour and the headlamps are set for driving on the left, and get an insurance quote before you commit rather than after.
Why does an import from outside the EU matter more?
The record separates imports from inside the EU from everything else, and the distinction is worth knowing. A non-EU import, most often a Japanese domestic model, is the one likely to be a different specification from the UK car it looks like. It may have needed Individual Vehicle Approval or Mutual Recognition before it could be registered here, parts can be slower and dearer to source, and some insurers price it as a specialist vehicle. None of that makes it a bad buy. It makes it a buy worth quoting for first.
What should I do if the car has an export marker?
An export marker with a date means the DVLA was told the vehicle was leaving the country. Cars do come back, and a returning vehicle is perfectly legitimate. But a car advertised here while the record says it left is a mismatch worth resolving before money moves. Ask the seller when it returned and how it was re-registered, and check the answer against the V5C in front of you. If the two do not line up, walk away.
Why it matters
What an Import Hides, and What It Does Not
An imported vehicle is not a damaged one. The risk is quieter than that. The car's first years happened somewhere a UK check cannot see, so the usual safety net of MOT records and recorded mileage simply starts late. Knowing that before you buy turns a blank stretch of history into a short list of questions for the seller.
No UK MOT Before It Arrived
MOT history begins at the vehicle's first UK test. Anything earlier happened under another country's rules and will not appear, which is why an eight-year-old import can show only three years of records.
Mileage That Cannot Be Cross-Checked
Odometer readings taken abroad are not in UK databases, so the usual way of catching a clocked car has less to work with. A full history check compares every UK reading it does hold.
Insurance and Parts, Priced in Advance
Import status has to be declared and some insurers load the premium for it. Non-UK spec parts can be slower to arrive. Both are cheap to find out before you buy and expensive to discover after.
RAC, AA and HPI
How We Compare To Competitors
40 features, side by side. 26 of them are where the providers actually differ.
- Car Owl 40 of 40
- RAC 18 of 40
- AA 15 of 40
- HPI 18 of 40
| Feature | Car Owl |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial 3 differ | ||||
| Outstanding Finance Check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Unpaid Loan Check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Accident & Write-Off History | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Insurance Write-Off Status | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Stolen Car Check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Mileage Discrepancies | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Scrapped Car Check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Imported/Exported | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Clocked Mileage Alert | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Cost of Ownership Calculator | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Future Value Prediction | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Assurance 5 differ | ||||
| Provide Excellent Service | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Clear & Actionable Insights | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Compatible With Any Browser | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Priority Support | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| 24/7 Customer Assistance | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Unlimited Free ULEZ Checks | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Maintenance 9 differ | ||||
| Mileage Verification Check | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Full MOT History | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| MOT Red Flags | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| Fuel Cost Calculator | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Vehicle Known Issues | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Colour Change Detection | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Recall Status Check | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Manufacturer Recall Alert | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Unlimited MOT History Checks | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Current Estimated Mileage | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Ownership 5 differ | ||||
| Previous Keepers | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Plate Changes | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Logbook Check | Included | Not included | Included | Not included |
| Cheapest Fuel Finder | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Ownership History | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| V5C Count | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| VIN Verification Tool | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Technical 4 differ | ||||
| Fuel Economy Insights | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Running Costs | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Road Tax Info | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| CO2 | Included | Included | Not included | Included |
| Technical Specifications | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Engine Details | Included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
Feature lists compared from each provider's own published information. Correct at the time of writing.
Check before you buy
Run an Imported Car Check in Seconds
DVLA Records, Plainly Explained
Enter a registration and see whether the vehicle carries an import or export marker, then read what that means for the car in front of you.
Every Import Marker on the Record
Our imported car check reads the DVLA record for the imported and exported markers, whether the import came from outside the EU, and whether the vehicle was used abroad before its UK plate was issued.
The Rest of the History With It
Import status rarely decides a purchase on its own. The same report covers outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, recorded mileage and previous keepers, so one check answers the whole question.
Ask the Right Questions Before You Hand Over Money
Every marker in the report comes with what it means in practice and what a genuine seller should be able to show you. Our guide on how to check if a car is imported covers what to look for on the car itself, and grey imports are explained in full.
That bargain looks good.
But is it still on finance?
If it is, it is not theirs to sell.
One check. Sixty seconds.
Car Owl
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Why it matters
What a history check turns up
1 in 3
Used cars have hidden issues like finance debt or previous accidents.
109
Stolen cars flagged daily using our detailed car history check.
1 in 3
Cars are still on finance. Buy the wrong one, and it could be repossessed.
1,815
Cars flagged daily for mileage discrepancies. Don't fall for tampered odometers.
2,205
Written-off cars found every day, as shown in our premium vehicle report.
1 in 4
Cars have had plate changes. Our reports reveal hidden problems instantly to ensure complete a car history check.
See it first
What’s Included in Your Vehicle Check?
We set a fair price for our car history check. This allows you to make informed decisions and save time. Knowing your vehicle history is key when car buying.
Our vehicle stolen check has full access to the UK PNC (Police National Computer) service. This guarantees your vehicle is not reported as stolen before you purchase. Get total peace of mind knowing this important information.
View Sample ReportAA19 MOT
Ford Focus RS
Overall outcome:
PASS
All checks:
- No Finance
- Not Written Off
- Not Stolen
- Not Imported
- Not Scrapped
- Mileage Verified
Still unsure?
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check if a car is imported?
Enter the vehicle's registration number, or its VIN, into the imported car check above. We read the DVLA record and tell you whether it holds an imported marker, whether the import came from outside the EU, and whether the vehicle was already in use before it was registered in the UK.
Why should I check if a car is imported?
Because it changes what the rest of the history means. An import's UK records only begin when it arrived, so MOT history and recorded mileage from its first years are simply missing. It can also affect what you pay to insure it and how easily you can source parts, both of which are better known before you buy than after.
What is a grey import, and does it affect the car's value?
A grey import is a vehicle brought into the UK outside the manufacturer's official channels, typically from Japan. It may be a specification never sold here, which can mean different equipment, harder to find parts and a higher insurance premium. Value cuts both ways: some buyers pay less for the uncertainty, while genuinely rare models can command a premium.
How do I know if my vehicle has been imported?
The DVLA record is the reliable answer, and our check reads it. On the car itself, look for a speedometer marked in kilometres per hour, headlamps set for driving on the right, a V5C showing a first registration date well after the model year, or documentation in another language.
Does the DVLA track imported cars?
Yes. When a vehicle is registered in the UK after being imported, the DVLA records that it is an import, and separately records whether it came from outside the EU. It also records an export marker, with a date, if it is told the vehicle has left the country.
What does the imported car check actually tell me?
Whether the vehicle carries an imported marker, whether that import came from outside the EU, whether it was used before its UK registration, and whether an exported marker is held along with its date. Each one is shown with what it means for the purchase, not just a yes or no.
Are imported cars harder to insure?
Some are. Insurers treat non-UK specification vehicles as a higher unknown, particularly for parts and repair costs, and import status has to be declared when you take out a policy. It is worth getting a quote on the registration before you agree a price rather than afterwards.
Does an export marker mean the car is stolen?
No. An export marker only means the DVLA was told the vehicle was leaving the UK, and vehicles do legitimately return. It is a mismatch worth explaining, though: if a car is being sold here while the record says it was exported, ask the seller when it came back and how it was re-registered, and check that against the V5C.
Can I check a car that has not been UK registered yet?
Yes, using the VIN. A vehicle that has been imported but not yet given a UK registration has no plate to search on, so the seventeen character VIN is the identifier to use.
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