The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) was a regulation concerning car ownership that was in force in the UK between 2003 and 2015.

The VIC was introduced on 7 April 2003 and was created to prevent the illegal practice of vehicle cloning and to keep track of scrapyard vehicles.[1] The scheme was run jointly by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).[2]

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.[3] When a car was written off by an insurance company as "Category C" or higher, checking was required before the V5C could be issued.[4]

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 on DVLA records. To apply for a check, a VIC1 Form had to be completed and submitted to VOSA. A car bought with no V5C might also require a VIC even if there had been no insurance claim to confirm its identity before a new V5C was issued.

Closure

Up to 2012, an estimated 900,000 vehicles had been tested under the scheme. However, only 38 "ringers" or cloned vehicles had been successfully identified.[5]

The VIC Scheme closed on 26 October 2015.[6] Since then, the conditions for issue of a V5C are that the vehicle has obtained an MoT Test Certificate, is roadworthy and has insurance.

References

  1. ↑ "New checks to foil 'car ringing' rackets". independent.co.uk. 28 January 2002. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) Scheme" (PDF). www.transportoffice.gov.uk. VOSA. November 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Car ringing". theguardian.com. 14 December 2005. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ Sinclair, Julie (20 July 2012). "Cloned car scheme wastes millions". Auto Express. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Vehicle approval, alteration and identity check data for Great Britain". www.gov.uk. DVLC. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
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