Car History Check Australia: PPSR, Write-Offs & Finance Owing
The official PPSR certificate costs $2, not the $20 to $35 resellers charge for the same data. Here’s what it shows, how to read it, where your free state rego check fits in, and the checklist to run before you hand over a cent.
What a car history check actually is
In Australia, a “car history check”, a “rev check” and a “PPSR check” all point to the same thing: a search of the Personal Property Securities Register, the national government register of security interests. When someone borrows money against a car, the lender registers that interest on the PPSR. When a car is written off or reported stolen, that flag reaches the PPSR too, via NEVDIS, the national vehicle data exchange run by Austroads on behalf of the state registries.
The catch for buyers: a registered security interest survives a private sale. Pay $15,000 cash for a car with $9,000 of finance still secured against it and the financier can repossess it from you, legally, without refunding a dollar. The $2 certificate exists so you never buy blind. There are two other checks worth running alongside it: a free VIN decoder lookup to confirm the VIN matches the car being described, and your state’s free rego check (table below) to confirm the registration is current.
What the $2 PPSR certificate shows
A $2 vehicle search of the official register returns a certificate covering four things:
Money owing / finance
Whether a lender has a registered security interest in the car. This is the single biggest financial risk when buying privately, because a registered interest survives the sale.
Written-off status
Whether the car has been recorded as a statutory or repairable write-off, via the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS).
Stolen status
Whether the car has been reported stolen to police, again sourced from NEVDIS jurisdictional data.
Vehicle identifiers
VIN, and where recorded the make, model, colour, engine number and compliance details, so you can confirm the car matches the seller's description and papers.
What it does not show
- Odometer readings or evidence of odometer wind-back
- Service and maintenance history
- Accident damage that never resulted in a write-off record
- Current registration status or expiry (use your state's free rego check below)
- Number of previous owners or past sale prices
The PPSR is a title check, not a condition check. Service history and mechanical condition still come from the logbooks and an independent inspection.
$2 official search vs $20 to $35 reseller reports
Search “car history check” and the first page is full of commercial report sellers. They are not scams: most bundle the same PPSR data with extras like valuations, odometer readings and past sale listings, and charge $20 to $35 for the package. But the three checks that actually protect your money (finance owing, write-off, stolen) come from the government register, and the government sells them to you directly for $2 per search, with free copies of the certificate. The fee is published on the official ppsr.gov.au fee schedule.
| What you get | Official PPSR (ppsr.gov.au) | Third-party reseller report |
|---|---|---|
| Price per search | $2 (certificate copies free) | Commonly $20 to $35 |
| Finance owing (security interests) | Yes, straight from the register | Yes (the same PPSR data) |
| Write-off record | Yes, via NEVDIS | Yes (the same NEVDIS data) |
| Stolen record | Yes, via NEVDIS | Yes (the same NEVDIS data) |
| Odometer readings | No | Sometimes bundled |
| Valuation / past sale listings | No | Sometimes bundled |
| Certificate you can rely on | Official government search certificate | Branded report built on the official data |
If the extras are worth $25 to you, buy a reseller report. If you just want to know the car is clear of finance, write-offs and theft records, the official $2 search answers exactly that.
How to read a PPSR certificate
The certificate arrives as a PDF within minutes of the search. Work through it in this order:
Search details
The top of the certificate records the search number, the exact date and time, and the VIN you searched. A PPSR certificate is a point-in-time snapshot, so run the search on the day you hand over money (or as close to it as possible) and keep the certificate. It is your evidence of what was, and wasn't, registered when you searched.
Vehicle details (NEVDIS)
Make, model, colour, body type and engine number as recorded by the state and territory registries via NEVDIS. Check every field against the car itself and the rego papers. A mismatched engine number or colour is a red flag worth asking the seller about before you go any further.
Registered security interests
The section that matters most. If a financier has money secured against the car you'll see one or more registrations, each with a registration number, start date, collateral class (motor vehicle) and a secured party group. “No registrations” here means no finance was recorded against the VIN at the time of the search.
Written-off indicator
A statutory write-off is damage so severe the car can never be registered again in Australia; it is parts only. A repairable write-off can, in some states, be repaired, pass a specialist inspection and return to the road, though rules differ by state and NSW heavily restricts re-registering them. Either flag should change the price you're willing to pay, if you proceed at all.
Stolen indicator
Shows whether the vehicle is currently recorded as stolen. If this flag appears, stop: contact the police rather than the seller. Buying a stolen car generally means losing both the car and your money when it's recovered.
Free VIN check vs paid PPSR report
Free VIN check & decoder
Validates the 17-character VIN and decodes the manufacturer, model year and country of origin from the VIN itself. It does not access finance, write-off or stolen records. Use it as a free first sanity check: run a free VIN check to validate the number, then the full VIN decoder for engine, body and build details.
Official PPSR certificate: $2
The government record that actually shows money owing (security interests), written-off and stolen status. It costs $2 at ppsr.gov.au and certificate copies are free, so there’s no need to pay a third-party reseller $20 to $35 for the same data.
How to run a car history check
- 1
Get the VIN (not just the plate)
Find the car's 17-character VIN on the build plate, the driver's-side door jamb, or the registration papers. A PPSR vehicle search needs the VIN or chassis number: the number plate alone won't return a certificate.
- 2
Validate the VIN first, for free
Before you pay for anything, run the VIN through a free VIN check to confirm it's a valid 17-character VIN, then decode it to see the make, model year and country of origin. It's a quick sanity check that the seller's details line up with the car in front of you.
- 3
Search the official PPSR ($2)
Go to ppsr.gov.au and run a “used car or vehicle search” with the VIN. The official search costs $2. Avoid third-party resellers that bundle the same government data for $20 to $35.
- 4
Read the certificate
The PPSR certificate shows any security interest (money owing or finance), whether the car has been written off or reported stolen (via NEVDIS), and basic vehicle details. Copies of your search result are free: keep the certificate as proof of what was registered at the time you searched.
- 5
Walk away if there's finance owing
If a security interest is registered against the car, the financier can repossess it even after you've paid and driven off. Either walk away, or have the seller clear the debt and re-run the search before any money changes hands.
OneBookPlus doesn’t sell PPSR reports; this is a guide. Run the official search at ppsr.gov.au for $2, and use our free VIN check and rego cost calculator to size up the rest.
Rev check: what happened to REVS
If someone tells you to “get a rev check”, they’re dating themselves. REVS, the Register of Encumbered Vehicles, was the state-based register (NSW, Queensland and others ran their own, and Victoria had VSR) where lenders recorded finance against cars. On 30 January 2012 those state registers were replaced by a single national register: the PPSR.
The name stuck, so plenty of commercial sites still trade on “rev check” and charge accordingly. A rev check today is a PPSR search: same purpose, one national register, $2 from the official source. Anyone charging $25 for a “REVS certificate” is reselling the search you can run yourself.
Free rego checks, state by state
A rego check is not a history check: it confirms the registration is current, using just the number plate, and it’s free in every state and territory. Run it alongside (not instead of) the PPSR search, because no rego check shows finance owing.
| State / territory | Where to check (free) | What the free check shows |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Service NSW free rego check (service.nsw.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry, make and model, plus the CTP insurer |
| VIC | VicRoads vehicle registration enquiry (vicroads.vic.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry, plus recorded vehicle details such as the VIN |
| QLD | TMR “Check my rego” (qld.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry; searchable by plate or VIN |
| WA | Department of Transport vehicle check (transport.wa.gov.au) | Vehicle licence (rego) status and expiry |
| SA | EzyReg registration check (ezyreg.sa.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry, plus basic vehicle details |
| TAS | Transport Tasmania rego status check (transport.tas.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry |
| ACT | Access Canberra rego check (rego.act.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry |
| NT | MVR registration check (nt.gov.au) | Registration status and expiry |
Service names and what each check displays can change; each state’s transport site is the source of truth. Once you know the rego status, estimate the transfer and renewal costs with the vehicle rego cost calculator.
Used-car buyer checklist
The $2 certificate is necessary but not sufficient. Before money changes hands, work through all ten:
Match the VIN in three places
The VIN on the build plate, the VIN on the rego papers and the VIN on your PPSR certificate must all be identical. Decode it with the free VIN decoder to confirm the make, model year and build details match the car being sold.
Check the seller's ID against the rego papers
The name on the seller's licence should match the registered operator on the papers. If it doesn't, ask why. “Selling it for a mate” is where stolen and encumbered cars hide.
Run your state's free rego check
Use the state services in the table above to confirm the registration is current and the expiry date. Then price the transfer and ongoing rego with the vehicle rego cost calculator.
Buy the $2 PPSR certificate on the day
Search at ppsr.gov.au with the VIN on the day you pay, or as close to it as you can. Save the PDF certificate: it's your proof of a clear title at the time of purchase.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection
A PPSR certificate covers title, not mechanical condition. Pay a mechanic (not the seller's mechanic) for a pre-purchase inspection. Many workshops now run these on digital vehicle inspection software, so you get a photo-backed report on every item they checked rather than a verbal “she's right”.
Read the service books and receipts
Look for stamped services at sensible intervals and receipts that match the odometer's story. A 10-year-old car with 60,000 km and no paperwork deserves scepticism, since the PPSR won't catch a wound-back odometer.
Inspect and test drive in daylight
Panel gaps, overspray, mismatched tyres and warning lights are all easier to spot dry and in daylight. Drive it cold if you can: a pre-warmed engine can hide rattles and hard starts.
Budget the real running costs
Rego, CTP, insurance, fuel, servicing and tyres often add up to more than the loan repayment. Estimate the yearly total with the car running cost calculator before you commit.
Re-run the PPSR if the seller clears finance
If the certificate showed money owing and the seller says they've paid it out, don't take their word (or their payout letter) for it. Spend another $2 and confirm the registration has actually been discharged before you pay.
Get a written receipt
Record the price, date, names, addresses, VIN and odometer reading, signed by both parties. Pair it with your PPSR certificate and you have a clean paper trail if anything is disputed later.
For automotive businesses
Put the VIN to work in your workshop
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Money owing, write-offs and stolen status, what the official $2 PPSR report covers before you buy.
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Feature-by-feature comparison for Australian workshops, including what each costs per month.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a PPSR car check cost?
An official PPSR search costs $2 at ppsr.gov.au, and copies of your search certificate are free. Third-party resellers often charge $20 to $35 for the same government data bundled with extras such as valuations and odometer readings. If you only need the finance, write-off and stolen checks, you can get the official certificate yourself for $2.
What's the difference between a free VIN check and a PPSR check?
A free VIN check validates the VIN and decodes the make, model year and origin from the VIN itself. It does not access finance, write-off or stolen records. A paid PPSR certificate ($2) is the official record that shows money owing, written-off and stolen status. Use the free VIN check to sanity-check the car, then the $2 PPSR search before you buy.
What do I need to run a PPSR check?
The car's 17-character VIN or chassis number. The registration plate on its own isn't enough for a vehicle certificate. You can find the VIN on the build plate, the driver's-side door jamb, or the rego papers.
Why does finance owing matter?
If a car has a registered security interest (money owing) and you buy it, the financier can legally repossess it. You could lose both the car and your money. A clear PPSR certificate protects you, and you can rely on it if the search was done correctly and close to the date of purchase.
Does a PPSR check cover write-offs and stolen cars?
Yes. The PPSR certificate draws on NEVDIS to show whether the vehicle has been recorded as a statutory or repairable write-off or reported stolen, alongside any registered security interest.
What happened to the REVS check?
REVS (the Register of Encumbered Vehicles) and the other state-based encumbrance registers were replaced by the national PPSR when it commenced on 30 January 2012. A “rev check” today just means a PPSR search: same purpose, one national register, $2 at ppsr.gov.au.
Does a PPSR certificate show service history or odometer readings?
No. The PPSR covers title: finance owing, write-off and stolen status, and recorded vehicle identifiers. It does not include odometer readings, service history, the number of previous owners or accident damage that never became a write-off record. For condition, read the service books and pay for an independent pre-purchase inspection.
Can I check a car's registration for free?
Yes. Every state and territory offers a free online rego check using the number plate: Service NSW, VicRoads, TMR's Check my rego in Queensland, the WA Department of Transport, EzyReg in SA, Transport Tasmania, Access Canberra and the NT MVR. These show registration status and expiry (NSW also shows the CTP insurer), but none of them show finance owing. That still needs the $2 PPSR search.
Sources & methodology
How we calculate this
This is a guide rather than a calculator: it runs no live data feed and returns no report. The $2 PPSR search fee was read off the PPSR's own fees page on 22 June 2026, and the resellers' $20 to $35 range is their advertised pricing at that date, which either side can change. The write-off and stolen data on a PPSR certificate comes from NEVDIS, operated by Austroads; the encumbrance data comes from the national register that absorbed REVS and the state equivalents when the PPSR commenced on 30 January 2012. The state rego-check services in the table were confirmed against each state portal on 16 July 2026 by name and top-level domain only, deliberately without deep links, because those URLs move.
Authoritative sources
Reviewed by Bishal Shrestha, Founder of OneBookPlus, 10+ years building tools with Australian tax-agent and BAS-agent practices. Rates and thresholds last verified: .
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates only and is not professional advice. For decisions that affect your tax, finances, or compliance position, consult a registered professional.
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