Vehicle Identity Check

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The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) was one regulation concerning car ownership in the United Kingdom, which was in force between April 2003 and October 2015.

The VIC was introduced on 7 April 2003, and was created to prevent the illegal practice of vehicle cloning.[1] The scheme was run jointly by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).[2] The scheme was first announced in January 2002, and was planned to come officially into force by April 2003. It was initially meant to keep track of scrapyard vehicles.[3]

Details[]

The VIC applied only to cars and was intended to ensure that the vehicle registration certificate (V5C) was not issued for stolen or cloned vehicles using the identity of a destroyed vehicle.[4][5][6] When any car was written off by an insurance company as “Category C” or higher checking was required before the V5C could be issued.[7]

Vehicles in Category D did not require inspection. The test, carried out by VOSA, determined whether or not a car presented was the same one that was listed against records by the DVLA. To apply for the check, the VIC1 Form had to be completed and submitted to VOSA. A car bought with no V5C might also require the VIC even if there had been no insurance claim to confirm its identity before any new V5C was issued.

The VIC was not a check on any repairs carried out to the car and did not certify its roadworthiness or mechanical safety; this is instead part of the MOT Test.

Closure[]

Up to July 2012, an estimated 900,000 vehicles had been tested under the scheme. However, only 38 “ringers” or cloned vehicles had been successfully identified.[8]

The VIC Scheme officially closed on 26 October 2015.[9] Since then, the conditions for issue of a V5C are that the vehicle has obtained a MOT Test Certificate, is roadworthy and has insurance. The task force indicating its closure was completed the month prior in September 2015.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Auto crime blitz". yorkpress.co.uk. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) Scheme" (PDF). www.transportoffice.gov.uk. VOSA. November 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. ^ "New checks to foil 'car ringing' rackets". independent.co.uk. 28 January 2002. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Has your car got an identity crisis?". theguardian.com. 5 January 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Car ringing". theguardian.com. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Whatever it might look like, that car in front could be a ghost". theguardian.com. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Code of Practice for the Disposal of Motor Vehicle Salvage" (PDF). Association of British Insurers. 7 May 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Julie (20 July 2012). "Cloned car scheme wastes millions". Auto Express. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Vehicle approval, alteration and identity check data for Great Britain". www.gov.uk. DVLC. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Summary: Intervention and Options" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
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