Courtesy of Auto-Express motoring magazine

Some leading car history checks don’t reveal important details about stolen and recovered used vehicles
That’s the claim from bosses at mycarcheck.com. The vehicle data company believes that the loophole means motorists aren’t always informed if a car has been stolen and subsequently retrieved. Roger Powell is the General Manager of mycarcheck.com. He told Auto Express: “All data suppliers take the police stolen marker off a car when it has been recovered, but we always inform our customers. The information is available and the implications for the buyers can be potentially disastrous.” He continued: “If it has been stolen, it’s likely the car was taken with a key, as more than 85 per cent of vehicles are these days. So, where are all the keys?” Of course, many buyers would not want one of these motors on principle. And this could cause problems for people who have unwittingly purchased a previously stolen car, and then try to sell it. If a data check highlights its murky past, it’s likely they will struggle to get rid of it. The motors that tend not to show up on searches are those that have been recovered by the authorities and have not suffered from any damage.

A spokeswoman for rival firm HPI explained: “Whether a car shows up on the register depends on its condition once it has been recovered. If it was undamaged it won’t be flagged up, as it won’t affect the value of the vehicle. However, if it was damaged we tell prospective buyers.”