Does a car owner need to be a registered keeper?
Not necessarily. The owner of the car needs not to be the registered keeper and vice versa. People usually get confused between the vehicle's keeper and owner as they sound similar. But it can be true in some cases; you can see the car owner as of the registered keeper. So having a clear understanding between these two factors is important.
But why? Suppose you are in a state to consider buying a used car. In that case, this differentiation will help you know the car owner history, the number of previous owners of the vehicle, and how well your vehicle is maintained in the past. Therefore to check car owner is one primary thing that every used car buyer has to do before buying. Get to know the complete differentiation between an owner and keeper of the car in this blog.
Who is the owner of the car?
The car owner is the person who paid for the car and owns it legally. Sometimes, he may not pay for the car because it might be a gift to him from any of this friends or relatives. However, in that case, too, he is the car owner. On the other hand, sometimes the car may be owned by parents and used by his son/daughter, known as the keeper of the car legally.
If the car is gifted then, it is well and good to get a proof of ownership from the person who has gifted the vehicle. The owner also must keep the updates of the registered keeper of the car if he is not the one. If the keeper's details are found irrelevant with the DVLA, then the owner is liable for the entire penalty imposed.
Another major responsibility of the owner is to get the proof of ownership as a copy that includes all the major items of the purchase, such as the amount paid, mode of payment, details about the seller, and the owner of the vehicle of where he purchased the car. The proof or the copy of the evidence has to be carried with you anywhere you go; if you have acquired the vehicle in the meantime, later the proof has to be safeguarded for the lifetime.
Who is the registered keeper of the used car?
Keeper of the car is the person who uses the car frequently in other words who has the complete control over the vehicle. Nearly 70% of the car owners are found to be the vehicle's registered keeper, which puts a full stop to all the confusions. He /she will be the first point of communication where the vehicle is being violated by the UK government's rules or the DVLA.
The vehicle has to be taken care carefully and should not allow any random persons to drive the vehicle, leading to unnecessary turmoil. He/she is the person who is responsible for the annual check of MOT tests, regular service checkups, tax and insurance renewals. The V5C document will have the keeper name registered, and he also takes the duty to take care of the V5C log.
Is V5C a proof of ownership?
No, it is not the accurate proof of ownership of the vehicle. The DVLA makes a visible notice that the V5C logbook is not the proof of ownership within the logbook itself. Hence making a DVLA vehicle owner check is a primary attribute prior to purchasing the used car.
What details do I get from a car owner check?
After knowing the complete difference between the owner and keeper of the vehicle, it is basic to run a car owner check to know the number of previous owners the car had and the date of registration of the car etc. at £1.99 from the car analytics.
Running an owner check will help you to know the maintenance of the car and another major background the car has had which is known only by the owner of the car.