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Is the simple act of merely retaining the V5C committing a criminal offence?

Is the simple act of merely retaining the V5C committing a criminal offence? I know about the pre-registered car and keeping the log book for three or six months by dealers. My dealer has a very good name and I knew the car was pre-registered but was only told on the day of collection about the log book being kept for a few months. This created problems with my insurance company so the dealer said they would send the V5C to the DVLA for change of keeper

I kept calling the DVLA every two weeks but nothing happening. The dealer said they posted it but received it back because it was not filled in. After eight weeks, nothing. In the end I transferred the keeper details to me online after seeking advice from DVLA (perfectly legal to do).

Asked on 28 June 2019 by Peter Hill

Answered by Honest John
You're being conned and this is, in fact, a criminal offence. A private prosecution was brought a few years ago: There is a case precedent over Misleading Omissions under Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008/1378 was Regina (House of Cars) v Derby Car and Van Contacts Ltd, Derby Crown Court before HHJ Burgess on 12-6-2012, covered here: Regina (House of Cars) v Derby Car and Van Contacts Ltd In this case, the purchaser had been sold a car as new when it had been pre-registered to a fleet, and remained registered to that fleet, putting the purchaser in breach of Section 43c of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 because he was using the car on the road but was not the registered keeper.
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