Can I know how many owners the car had?

Yes, we disclose the exact number of owners, the owner category, such as private, company, garage, the last purchase date of the car, along with the sale history of the car.

As you can see from our sample car check report below, this car had 6 previous owners. The report also shows the owner category date, the last purchase date of the car, along with the sale history of the car.

Snippet from a car history check report

Owner(s)

No. of owners:	6 (incl. current owner)
Owner category:	PRIVATE
Purchase date:	10/10/2014 (8 moths ago)
Sale History	from 1/02/2015 - Private (4 months) from 1/12/2014 - Private (2 months) from 1/10/2014 - Garage (2 months) from 3/09/2014 - Garage (28 days) from 15/08/2014 - Garage (19 days) from 10/06/2014 - Private (2 months) from 18/02/2014 - Private (3 months) from 18/01/2013 - Company (1 year 1 month) from 10/01/2013 - Garage (8 days) from 02/01/2012 - State (1year 8 days)

Just taking one recent previous year as an example; 22,000 Cars in Ireland had been previously owned by 10 or more people, with one extraordinarily example showing the car having 34 previous owners.

It’s important to note, that the more owners a car has had, the more the value, as well as the maintenance costs change. Cars with fewer owners tend to be better taken care of and well maintained.

A high number of owners in a short period can indicate that the car is not very desirable and it may be exhibiting issues.

Ideally, you want to find an owner that cherishes the car, preferably a car with just one previous owner.

Each subsequent owner of a car naturally pays less for it, and will in all probability, treat the car in line with how much they paid for it, rather than how much it cost new. For example:

If a 10-year-old car only has one owner who bought it new for 50K, it is quite likely that they have treated it like an object they have spent 50K on. If on the other hand, a 10-year-old car is on its 8th owner, who only bought it for 1K, it's very likely that they will treat it as a 1K car - ie, with not as much care. There are obviously no hard and fast rules, and the most important thing is the condition of the vehicle. Taking the number of owners into consideration is just another useful thing to consider when purchasing a car.

The more owners a car has had in the past, the greater the need to do a car history report to see if any other issues pop up that you have not have been aware of.

To see how many car owners, the car you’re considering purchasing has put in the car registration details below to find out.

Is a Garage considered a previous owner?

No, a garage is not considered a previous owner of a vehicle. Car dealers and traders are not classed as owners, so if there is a large number of previous owners on a vehicle, these are actually the private owners and not garages or anyone in the trade.

Do you reveal who the previous owners were?

No. Unfortunately, due to data protection laws, the previous or current owners details are not disclosed to any third party. Old “log” books stated the previous owner’s name and address, however, the Vehicle Registration Certificate does not state the name of the previous owner but only the number of previous owners. Under section (J.3) on the vehicle registration certificate, you will see the number of previous owners.

Why is it important to verify who the real vehicle owner is?

This can help you to determine if the seller is the private owner of the vehicle and not a trader, who is passing off as a private seller. It is good to know that the seller is who they say they are, as they may very well be a person who is acting in a semi trade capacity, were they buy vehicles within the motor trade or at auctions and then retail from their home.

To verify if the seller is in fact, the owner of the vehicle, we would recommend that you ask them to produce the vehicle's licensing certificate and also their own identification to prove that they are indeed the legal owner of the vehicle.

If you do buy a car from a private seller, we would strongly suggest that you insist on a written receipt, photocopy, or photograph of the signed vehicle licensing certificate, photocopy of identification (photo) and rather than paying in cash, we would recommend paying in a bank draft.

Taxi and Hackney Ownership

Can you check if it was previously used as a taxi or hackney?

Yes, we disclose if a vehicle was previously or is currently registered as a Taxi or as a Hackney Carriage.

If you want to find out if the car you are purchasing is presently or formerly a taxi, enter your car registration details below to find out. A MyVehicle car history report costs from as little as €19.

Questions to ask the owner of a used vehicle

• Are you the registered car owner?
  Ask for I.D. and ask to see the Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC).
• Are you in the trade?
  Sometimes, a trader can pose as a private seller, in order to avoid having to give a warranty on the vehicle.
• Why are you selling the car?
  The car could have underlying issues that the seller does not want you to know about so when you ask why they are selling, you would like to hear a legitimate reason for selling.
• How long have you owned the car?
  Check ownership dates on the VRC. If they have only owned the car for a short time, you should ask them why they are selling the vehicle so soon after purchasing it.
• How many owners has the car had?
  You can corroborate the number of owners the seller says it has had with your own car history check report. (if you want to see the number of owners on the VRC you can find this under section (J.3) on the vehicle registration Certificate)

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