The Vehicle register in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

is a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of people or cargo. The ...

s. It is a legal requirement in the UK for most types of motor vehicle to be registered if they are to be used on the public road. All new and imported vehicles are required to be entered onto the register, which is administered by the

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire ...

(DVLA) in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

and by

Driver & Vehicle Agency The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) ( ga, An Ghníomhaireacht Tiománaithe agus Feithiclí) is a government agency of the Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland), Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The agency is respons ...

(DVA) in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

. Registered vehicles are not provided with tax certificates anymore in the United Kingdom. On the register, along with the vehicle details (make, model, engine capacity, colour,

VIN Vin or VIN may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Vîn TV, a Kurdish language satellite television channel founded in 2007 * ''Vos Iz Neias?'', an American Jewish online news site * Coastal radio station VIN Geraldton (callsign), a statio ...

, etc.) are recorded the details of the current keeper of the vehicle (name, address). The current keeper is issued with a registration document known as a

V5C A vehicle registration certificate is an official document providing proof of registration of a vehicle. It is used primarily by governments as a means of ensuring that all road vehicles are on the national vehicle register, but is also used as ...

, which displays the registration details of the vehicle. Each time any of the registration details change, if the vehicle keeper is changed, or any of the vehicle details are changed, for example, the DVLA/DVLNI has to be notified, and a new document is issued. A

vehicle first registration fee The Vehicle first registration fee is the fee charged by the Government of the United Kingdom to register a vehicle for the first time with the DVLA The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; cy, Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) ...

has to be paid to enter a vehicle onto the register for the first time.

Database uses

The database is available to the law enforcement authorities for activities such as: * Vehicle legality checks such as: current safety certification,

motor insurance Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury r ...

and

vehicle licence A vehicle licence (also called a vehicle registration certificate in some jurisdictions) is issued by a motor registration authority in a jurisdiction in respect of a particular motor vehicle. A current licence is required for a motor vehicle to b ...

Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

traffic law Traffic codes are laws that generally include provisions relating to the establishment of authority and enforcement procedures, statement of the rules of the road, and other safety provisions. Administrative regulations for driver licensing, vehi ...

enforcement * Automated camera enforcement of certain traffic laws Details from the database are also available, for £2.50, to anyone having a good reason to require them. Between 2004 and 2009 the service sold more than 18 million names and addresses charging £44 million. The DVLA stated that they did not make a profit from the service. Commercial vehicle check companies incorporate database details Car check for consumer protection and anti-fraud purposes. In 2009,

Castrol Castrol is a British oil company that markets industrial and automotive lubricants, offering a wide range of oil, greases and similar products for most lubrication applications. The name ''Castrol'' was originally just the brand name for com ...

used information from the database to create personalised advertisements to drivers. Five billboards in London automatically recognised the numberplate and then advised drivers what type of engine oil to use based on the make and age of their car. The DVLA said that such use of the database was "inappropriate" and it was "urgently investigating".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Vehicle Licensing - DVLA

Quebec (SAAQ)

Parkplatzbeschilderung
(in German) Government databases in the United Kingdom Vehicle law

Database uses

See also

References

External links