V5C logbook explained
The V5C is the vehicle registration document issued by DVLA. It shows the registered keeper of a vehicle - the person responsible for keeping the record current - along with the vehicle's details. You need it to tax the vehicle, record an ownership change, apply for SORN, or update your personal details. Here is what the V5C contains, what each section is for, and what to do if yours is missing.
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What is the V5C?
The V5C is the official vehicle registration document. It contains the vehicle's registration number, make, model, colour, engine size, and VIN, alongside the registered keeper's name and address. The current format is printed on orange paper; an older red version was replaced in 2018.
Registered keeper and legal owner are not the same thing. The registered keeper is the person named on the V5C - the person responsible for ensuring the vehicle is taxed, insured, and kept correctly on DVLA records. Legal ownership is a separate question: in a hire purchase agreement, for example, the finance company is the legal owner until the final payment clears, but the driver is the registered keeper and is responsible for road fund licence and insurance.
What are the sections of a V5C?
The V5C contains several numbered sections, each with a specific purpose:
- Section 6 - used by the new keeper when buying privately. The seller completes it with the buyer's details, detaches it, and sends it to DVLA to notify the change of keeper. The buyer retains the rest of the document.
- Yellow new keeper supplement (V5C/2) - given to the buyer at the time of sale. Contains a 12-digit reference number the buyer uses to tax the vehicle immediately before the full V5C is reissued by DVLA.
- Blue section (V5C/3) - sent to DVLA when a vehicle is being permanently exported, scrapped, or broken.
The seller sends the main document to DVLA after completing section 6. The buyer uses the yellow V5C/2 until the new V5C arrives (typically within five working days from DVLA).
When do you need your V5C?
The most common occasions you need your V5C or its reference number are: taxing the vehicle online or at a Post Office, notifying DVLA of a change of address, applying for SORN, and checking or confirming vehicle details for insurance or finance purposes.
When selling privately, the V5C is required to complete the ownership transfer. Without the seller completing section 6, DVLA cannot record the new keeper - and the old keeper remains responsible for any road fund licence obligations.
Insurers can verify a vehicle via the registration number alone, so cover is still obtainable without the logbook - but you should apply for a replacement V5C as soon as possible.
What to do when you buy a car privately
The seller should complete section 6 with your details, keep the main V5C, and send it to DVLA to notify the change of keeper. They should also give you the yellow V5C/2 (new keeper supplement) so you can tax the vehicle immediately using the 12-digit reference on that slip.
Do not accept a car sale without a V5C or at least the new keeper supplement. Driving without taxing the vehicle means the tax may lapse the moment the old keeper's registration of sale is processed.
For the drive home while you sort a full annual policy, one day car insurance is the simplest route - a single 24-hour policy in your own name.
What to do when you sell a car
Complete section 6 of your V5C with the buyer's details. Send the completed main document to DVLA at gov.uk (the online option is faster) or by post to notify the sale. Give the buyer the yellow V5C/2 so they can tax the vehicle.
Once DVLA processes the notification, a new V5C is issued to the buyer and you are no longer recorded as the keeper. Until then, if the buyer drives without tax, the outstanding liability sits with your DVLA record.
The new owner is responsible for setting up road tax, and our guide to taxing a car explains how to do it online using the reference number on the V5C green slip.
What if your V5C is missing?
Apply for a replacement V5C at gov.uk for £25. DVLA issues a new document within five working days. If you need to tax the vehicle urgently and cannot wait, the DVLA vehicle enquiry service can confirm the vehicle is registered to you, which may help in some circumstances. If your insurance is new, it may take a short time to appear on the Motor Insurance Database - wait a few minutes and retry the tax application if it is declined.
The V5C and vehicle history checks
Checking the V5C at the point of purchase is only one layer of due diligence. The V5C shows who the registered keeper is, but it does not reveal whether there is outstanding finance on the vehicle, whether it has been written off and repaired, whether the mileage is accurate, or whether it has been previously stolen and recovered. For those checks, a separate vehicle history check service is needed.
A history check will confirm whether the car's VIN and registration match, whether any finance is secured against it, and whether it appears on insurance write-off records. If you are buying a car privately, the V5C details (VIN and registration number) are what you input to run a history check. Keep the V5C paperwork from the point of purchase as evidence of the ownership transfer chain.
V5C and car insurance
When setting up insurance, especially on a vehicle you have just bought, your insurer will typically ask for the registration number, which DVLA cross-references to vehicle details. The V5C or new keeper supplement is the source document for confirming the registration matches the vehicle details. Insurers use the registration number to identify the vehicle, so cover can generally be arranged even without the V5C to hand - but apply for a replacement promptly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a V5C?
The V5C is the vehicle registration document issued by DVLA. It shows the registered keeper, vehicle details, and contains the reference numbers needed to tax the vehicle or notify DVLA of ownership changes.
Is the registered keeper the same as the owner?
Not necessarily. In a finance agreement, the finance company is the legal owner until the final payment. The registered keeper is the person named on the V5C and responsible for DVLA obligations.
What is the yellow slip inside the V5C?
The yellow V5C/2 is the new keeper supplement. The seller gives it to the buyer at the point of sale. The buyer uses the 12-digit reference number on it to tax the vehicle immediately.
What happens if I lose my V5C?
Apply for a replacement at gov.uk for £25. DVLA sends a new document within approximately five working days.
Does road tax transfer to the new owner when I sell a car?
No. The seller receives a refund for any full remaining months and the buyer must tax the vehicle themselves before driving it.
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