V5C logbook alerts

A V5C is the DVLA registration certificate, the logbook. A V5C alert tells you when DVLA issues a replacement one for a vehicle you are watching. A reissue is routine when a keeper loses the document, and a warning sign when it happens on a car that is about to be sold to you.

Why does a reissued V5C matter?

The logbook is the document a buyer checks to confirm who is selling the car. Someone selling a vehicle they do not own, or hiding a change of keeper, needs a clean-looking V5C in their own name. A recent reissue on a car being sold in a hurry is worth a question. It is also worth knowing if the car is yours and you did not request one.

How much does monitoring cost?

Buy monitoring on its own at checkout, or add it to a vehicle check. It is a one-off payment for the term, not a rolling subscription.

How does a V5C alert work?

1. Enter the plate. Type any UK registration. We look up the vehicle and save its current V5C issue date as your baseline.
2. Pick your watch. Choose 3, 6, or 12 months of monitoring at checkout. One payment, no subscription, no auto-renewal.
3. We scan daily. Every day we compare the DVLA-held issue date against your baseline. No change, no alert, no noise.
4. Get the signal. The day the date moves, you get an email alert.

Why would the V5C date change?

• A possible keeper change. The vehicle may have changed hands. A new keeper often triggers a fresh V5C.
• A replacement logbook. The old V5C may have been lost, stolen, or damaged and DVLA reissued it.
• A record correction. DVLA may have updated details already held, such as a spelling or detail fix.

Read more in V5C and logbook alerts, explained and what to do if you lose your V5C.

V5C alert questions

What is a V5C logbook alert?

It is a monitoring service that checks the V5C issue date DVLA holds on public record for a specific vehicle, once a day, and tells you the moment that date changes.

How often do you check?

Once every day. When a watch is active, our system compares the latest DVLA-held V5C issue date against the one recorded the day before and only alerts you when it changes.

Will I know the new keeper?

No. DVLA does not make keeper identity public and we do not have access to it. The alert tells you the on-record issue date has changed, not who the vehicle is now registered to.

How do I receive the alert?

By email, to the address you give at checkout, on the day the daily check spots the change.

Can I buy the alert on its own?

Yes. Choose V5C alerts only at checkout, or add the watch to a report. Each watch covers one registration.

Will every change be caught?

We check once daily using publicly available DVLA vehicle data. We cannot guarantee every change is captured, and this is not a substitute for official DVLA correspondence or your own vehicle records.