PPSR check Victoria: $2 government certificate included, from $12.95

The certificate shows registered security interests and who holds them, stolen status, and any Written-Off Vehicle Register entry with the statutory or repairable classification and incident codes. It prints the plate, expiry, make, model and colour NEVDIS holds for the VIN.

For a Victorian car you can cross-check that last block against the Service Victoria free check, which shows the VIN, engine number, make, colour and body type from VicRoads records. If the certificate and the free check describe different cars, something is wrong with the plate, the VIN or the seller.

Copy the VIN from the Service Victoria check into ppsr.gov.au and pay $2.00. You will get the certificate we deliver, written as the Registrar writes it. For a confident reader with a VIN in hand that is good value, and we say so.

Our $12.95 certificate is for the buyer with only a plate, or one who wants a verdict rather than a document. It includes the plate lookup, the certificate unaltered and a free re-run on typos. The $27.95 report decodes the write-off codes, lists open recalls, adds build and identity data for 2021-onward cars and includes a free finance re-check within 14 days. The $2.00 search fee is a separate line on every receipt.

Victoria allows a repairable write-off to be registered again after a Vehicle Identity Validation inspection, known as a VIV. The VIV checks that the vehicle’s identifiers match, that it was not rebuilt from stolen parts and that the repairs are documented. It does not certify the quality of the repair; a roadworthy certificate covers the safety side separately. A statutory write-off cannot be registered in Victoria or anywhere else.

The PPSR entry is permanent. A Melbourne car with a repairable record, a VIV certificate and a current roadworthy is legitimately on the road, and still worth less than a clean one. Read the incident code: hail, impact, fire and water carry different risks and different repair histories.

Private buyers run hand searches from listings and at inspections. Licensed motor car traders must sell cars free of encumbrances and search their stock as routine. Lenders search before financing and register their interest after settlement. Auction houses attach a certificate to each lot.

Insurers and assessors notify Victorian write-offs, which reach the certificate through the national data. For owner counts and transfer history, which the PPSR does not hold, VicRoads sells a separate Vehicle Report for Victorian cars.

1. Enter the Victorian plate and select VIC, or paste the VIN from the Service Victoria check.
2. Confirm the make, model and year on screen before anything is charged.
3. Choose the $12.95 certificate or the $27.95 report and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
4. Read the verdict and keep the emailed PDF and its 16-digit search number.

• The balance on any finance. Ask the secured party for a payout letter.
• Owner count or transfer history. The VicRoads Vehicle Report covers that for Victorian cars.
• Whether VIV repairs were done well. Get an independent inspection.
• Service history or odometer accuracy.