I recently took ownership of a secondhand car, new to me but without an original V5C log book, that’s the green and red document from the DVLA with the New Keeper tear off slip inside which is usually handed to you when you buy a secondhand car so your can notify the DVLA you are the new registered keeper of that vehicle.
FYI the Log Book is not proof of ownership it just connects you to the vehicle for driving offences like speeding and parking.
I am writing this as I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what to do. First online, I had a photocopy of the log book with a number on it, not the correct number, I hit a road block and then on the phone with the DVLA, over an hour on hold to discover what I needed to do.
If you have taken ownership or bought a new secondhand car in the UK and the logbook is lost or not provided to tax your vehicle and get a new logbook you have to go to the post office.
It’s the ONLY way. Your application has to be completed by post and you have to pay a £25 fee. No getting around it so if a log book isn’t provided you need to deduct this fee from your agreed purchase price.
The form you require is a V62 and you will be required to provide your UK driving license number in this form also along with the VIN number for your car. This was tricky for me, I have never located a VIN number before, every car has a unique factory number that identifies it and it is located in one of three places on your car. 1. On the drivers side windscreen just above the dashboard. 2. On the drivers side door jam just below where the door latches. 3. On the front panel of the engine under the bonnet on the engine block or stamped on the chassis or metal frame.
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique 17-character alphanumeric code assigned to every vehicle. It acts as the car’s fingerprint, encoding manufacturer details, model specifications, and registration history.
The VIN is essential for verifying a vehicle’s identity and preventing fraud. I found mine on the door jam but the position varies for every vehicle.
Once I had all the correct information the process at the post office was straight forward, complete the form, V62 and pay the fee, £25, you can tax your car at the same time.
The replacement log book isn’t then sent to you in the post and takes about 4 weeks. Make you have another form of proof of owner ship, an invoice or letter stating you are the new owner of the car as a log book is not proof of ownership.
I also discovered if you are on a long hold waiting for the DVLA to speak to you you can ask for a call back instead of waiting and they guarantee to call you back before 7pm the same day. Which is probably better than sitting waiting to speak to them for anything else you may not be able to resolve online and need to discuss.
When I did get through to DVLA I did get the information I needed very quickly, it just took a long time to get through so hope this saves anyone else time.