Ask Honest John

Honest John Ask Honest John » I bought a used car described as having one previous owner - but the V5C says two former keepers?
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

I bought a used car described as having one previous owner - but the V5C says two former keepers?

I went to view a secondhand car that was described by the dealer (in bold capital letters) as "1 Previous Owner". I was looking for a one-owner car. At the time of viewing the salesman told me the car had one previous owner. He did not show me the log book. I put a deposit of £200 down. When I checked later I found the car had at least two previous owners. I asked for my money back which they have refused, saying in an email (quote) "Our advert says one previous owner so two owners in total". Is this fair? Surely the original description is most misleading?

Asked on 13 November 2019 by Chris Smith

Answered by Dan Powell
When a car is advertised with "one previous owner" it means one owner previous to the one that's now on the V5C. That will make you the third owner. This is standard practice. Should this have been pointed out to you? Yes, but I don't think it's anything to be worried about unless the car has actually had four or five previous owners. Fill in a V888 form and send it to the DVLA - this will provide the details of the previous keepers.
Similar questions
I bought a car from a dealer that didn't have the V5. I used a V62 to register and tax the car. The advert showed two previous owners, but I've now found out that it's had three previous keepers (all individuals,...
I bought a four year old mini motor caravan from a reputable dealer in May. It was advertised as one owner, but I had to wait a number of weeks before I picked it up from them as the previous owner hadn't...
Is there a way to find out the number of former keepers of a car, from the number plate alone?