PPSR check by rego or VIN, $12.95 including the $2 government certificate
Enter a rego and state, or a VIN, and we run the PPSR search, attach the official certificate and explain what it means. Most reports arrive within two minutes.
Have the VIN? You can search the PPSR yourself for $2 at ppsr.gov.au. We add the plate lookup, the decoded report and the guarantees. Go to the $2 search
What a PPSR check shows
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is the Australian Government register of security interests over personal property, including cars. A PPSR vehicle search tells you whether a lender or other party has registered an interest over the car, which usually means money is still owing on it. If you buy a car with an undischarged interest, the lender can repossess it from you.
Every PPSR vehicle certificate also carries a block of data from NEVDIS, the national vehicle database: whether the car is recorded as stolen, whether it is on the Written-Off Vehicle Register and whether the write-off was statutory or repairable, plus the registration number, expiry, make, model and colour the register holds for that VIN.
- Security interests (finance owing) and the secured party named on each one
- Stolen status from NEVDIS (Tasmanian stolen records are not supplied)
- Written-off status, statutory or repairable, with the damage codes
- Registration plate, state, expiry, make, model and colour held against the VIN
- A 16-digit search number you can use to retrieve the certificate free from the PPSR at any time
How to do a PPSR check by rego or VIN
- Enter the number plate and the state it is registered in, or the 17-character VIN from the compliance plate or rego papers.
- Confirm the car. We look up the plate and show you the make, model and year before you pay anything.
- Choose the certificate alone ($12.95) or the car check report ($27.95), then pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Your report page opens straight away and the certificate PDF is emailed to you, usually within two minutes.
Why the $2 government search is not always enough on its own
You can search the PPSR yourself for $2.00 at ppsr.gov.au if you have the VIN. The register cannot be searched by number plate, so if all you have is the rego from an online ad you need a plate-to-VIN lookup first, and only Victoria prints a full VIN on its free rego check.
The certificate is also written for lawyers and lenders. It tells you a security interest exists but not what the collateral class codes mean, it prints write-off damage codes like "F" and "W" without explaining them, and it never shows how much is owing. Our report includes the plate lookup, decodes every code, explains what to ask the seller, and backs it with a free re-run on typos and a refund if no certificate arrives.
| $2 search at ppsr.gov.au | CarVerify certificate $12.95 | CarVerify report $27.95 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by number plate | No, VIN only | Yes | Yes |
| Official PPSR certificate PDF | Yes | Yes, unaltered | Yes, unaltered |
| Plain-English verdict | No | Yes | Yes |
| Write-off damage codes decoded | No | No | Yes |
| Recalls, build data, fuel use | No | No | Yes |
| Free re-run on a typo | No, pay again | Yes | Yes |
| 14-day finance re-check | No | No | Yes |
PPSR check by state
The PPSR is national, so one search covers a car registered anywhere in Australia. State rules differ on what happens after a write-off and on what the free state rego check shows, which is why we keep a page for each state.
What a PPSR check cannot tell you
- How much is owing. The register records that an interest exists, not the balance. Ask the seller for a payout letter from the lender.
- Who owns the car or how many owners it has had. Only Service NSW and VicRoads sell owner-count reports, and only for their own state.
- Service history, accident repairs that were never claimed on insurance, or odometer tampering.
- Whether a Tasmanian car is stolen. Tasmania does not supply stolen-vehicle data to the PPSR.
Choose what you need
Full pricingPPSR Certificate
The official certificate, by rego or VIN, in plain English.
- Official PPSR certificate PDF, unaltered, with its search number (AFSA)
- Finance owing and the secured party named (PPSR)
- Stolen status (NEVDIS; Tasmania not covered)
- Written-off status: statutory or repairable (NEVDIS)
- Rego number, expiry, make, model and colour (NEVDIS)
- Search by rego + state or by VIN; plate lookup included
- Plain-English verdict page, emailed in minutes
Car History Report
Everything in the certificate, decoded, plus recalls, build data and the checks most sellers never run.
- Everything in the certificate, plus:
- Identity cross-check: state rego record vs NEVDIS vs VIN decode, field by field, with any mismatch flagged
- Registration status, expiry and purpose of use, with ex-taxi, hire or fleet use flagged
- Write-off damage codes decoded: impact, fire, flood, hail, water
- Secured party contact details and the exact payout-letter steps when finance is found
- Open safety recalls for the make and model, searched on vehiclerecalls.gov.au
- Build date, approval and import pathway for 2021+ cars (Register of Approved Vehicles)
- Expected odometer range for the car's age, to test the reading on the dash
- A "what to ask the seller" checklist built from this car's results
- Free 14-day finance re-check before you hand over the money
PPSR check by state
What we promise
Free re-run on typos
Mistyped a plate or VIN, or the register returned no vehicle data? We run it again at no charge.
Most reports arrive within 2 minutes
If yours has not arrived within 15 minutes, we refund in full.
No certificate, full refund
If we cannot deliver the official PPSR certificate, you pay nothing.
One-off price, no subscription
Pay once. No trials, no renewals, nothing pre-ticked.
Questions people ask
Is this just the $2 PPSR search?
The certificate inside every report is the same official PPSR certificate you would get for $2 at ppsr.gov.au, and we say so. What you are paying us for is the number-plate lookup (the PPSR only accepts a VIN), the plain-English verdict, the decoded write-off codes and recall data on the report tier, and the guarantees: a free re-run if you mistype and a refund if no certificate arrives.
Can I do a PPSR check with just the rego number?
Yes. Enter the plate and the state. We convert the plate to the VIN through an authorised vehicle-data lookup and show you the make, model and year to confirm before you pay. The PPSR itself cannot be searched by plate.
Does the PPSR certificate show how much money is owing?
No. No PPSR certificate from any provider shows an amount owing. It shows that a security interest is registered and names the secured party. To learn the balance, ask the seller for a payout letter from that lender.
How long does a PPSR check take?
Most reports arrive within two minutes. The register goes offline for maintenance on Wednesday nights from 9pm to midnight Canberra time; orders placed then are delivered by 7am. If your report has not arrived within 15 minutes we refund in full.
Is a PPSR certificate from CarVerify legally the same as one from ppsr.gov.au?
Yes. We deliver the certificate exactly as the Registrar issues it, with its search number printed on your report and in the email. You can retrieve a copy free from the PPSR at any time with that number.
What if I typed the VIN or plate wrong?
We re-run the search at no charge. The same applies if the register returns a certificate with no vehicle data for the VIN.
Do I need a PPSR check if I am buying from a dealer?
Licensed dealers must sell cars free of encumbrances, so the risk is lower, but private sales and online marketplaces are where undisclosed finance and write-offs turn up. For a private sale, search on the day you pay.
Related
- REVS check Australia: finance owing, stolen and written-off, from $12.95
- VIN check Australia: decode the VIN free, then check finance and write-offs
- Is there a free PPSR check? Yes, two ways, and here's the catch
- The $2 PPSR check: how to get the certificate yourself
- WOVR check: is the car on the Written-Off Vehicle Register?
- Car finance check: is there money owing on the car?