Vehicle Finance Check
Is there money owing on the car?
About 1 in 10 used vehicles checked with MotorRegistry has finance owing.
A vehicle finance check searches the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) for any loan or security interest registered against a car. If you buy a car with money owing on it, the lender may be able to repossess it from you.
What a MotorRegistry report shows
- Official PPSR certificate from the Australian Government's register Every report
- Any security interest (finance owing) registered against the vehicle, explained in plain English Every report
- Written-off, stolen and registration checks Every report
- Free 14-day finance re-check, with an email if the finance status changes Comprehensive & Plus
- Independent market valuation, to compare against the asking price Comprehensive & Plus
Every MotorRegistry report includes the official PPSR certificate plus finance owing, written-off, stolen and registration checks. See every tier side by side on the compare page.
What a vehicle finance check shows
When a lender finances a car, it registers a security interest against the vehicle's VIN on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), the Australian Government's national register. The security interest gives the lender the right to repossess the car if the loan isn't repaid, and it can stay attached to the car when it's sold.
A vehicle finance check searches the PPSR for any security interest registered against the car. Every MotorRegistry report includes the official PPSR certificate, with the result explained in plain English, along with the written-off, stolen and registration checks. Our PPSR check and REVS check pages cover the register in more detail. The PPSR replaced the state registers, including NSW's REVS, in 2012.
How common is finance owing?
About 1 in 10 used vehicles checked with MotorRegistry has finance owing. The rate barely changes from state to state, but it varies a lot by vehicle, with work utes carrying the highest rate. Our analysis of finance owing on used vehicles has the full breakdown.
If the check shows finance owing
Finance owing doesn't have to stop the sale, as long as the loan is paid out as part of it. Before you pay:
- Ask the seller for a payout letter from their lender showing the amount needed to clear the loan.
- Arrange for that amount to go to the lender directly, and the balance to the seller. Many lenders will manage this with the buyer and seller together.
- Get written confirmation from the lender that the loan has been paid out.
- Check the PPSR again to confirm the security interest has been removed before you take the car.
The PPSR doesn't show who the loan is with or how much is owing, so the payout letter has to come from the seller.
Check as close to payment as you can
A PPSR search reflects the register at the moment it's run. If you buy from a private seller and a search shows no security interest against the vehicle's serial number, you generally take the car free of any undisclosed finance. That protection depends on the search being current, and a car can be refinanced between the day you check it and the day you pay.
Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus reports include a free 14-day finance re-check. We check the PPSR again after you buy the report and email you if the vehicle's finance status changes, so you're not relying on a result from a week ago.
Buying from a dealer
Licensed dealers must give you clear title to the vehicle, so finance owing is mainly a risk in private sales. A check is still worth running on a dealer car. It confirms the written-off and stolen status too, and the dealer's own paperwork won't include the car's wider history.
Vehicle Finance Check FAQ
How do I check if a car has finance owing?
Search the car's VIN on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). Lenders register their security interest in a financed vehicle on the PPSR, so a search shows whether money is owed against it. Every MotorRegistry report includes the official PPSR certificate from a rego or VIN search.
What happens if I buy a car with finance owing?
The lender's security interest can stay attached to the car after it's sold, so the lender may be able to repossess it from you if the seller doesn't pay the loan out. You would then have to pursue the seller for your money.
Does a PPSR certificate protect me?
If you buy from a private seller and a PPSR search shows no security interest registered against the vehicle's serial number, you generally take the car free of any undisclosed finance. The protection depends on the search being current, so search as close to the time of purchase as you can. Comprehensive and Comprehensive Plus reports include a free 14-day finance re-check that emails you if the finance status changes.
Can the report tell me who the loan is with or how much is owing?
No. The PPSR records that a security interest is registered, but the lender's identity and the amount owing aren't available to buyers from the PPSR or anywhere else. If a report shows finance owing, ask the seller to arrange a payout letter from their lender and settle the loan as part of the sale, then check again before you pay.
How common is finance owing on used cars?
About 1 in 10 used vehicles checked with MotorRegistry has finance owing. The rate is higher for some vehicle types, particularly work utes. Our blog post on finance owing has the breakdown by vehicle and state.
Check the car before you pay
Enter the rego or VIN to see what's on record for the vehicle.
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