About the search
Is a REVS check the same as a PPSR check?
Yes. REVS was the NSW Register of Encumbered Vehicles; it was folded into the national Personal Property Securities Register on 30 January 2012 along with every other state register. People still say “REVS check”, but the search that answers the question today is a PPSR search — which is exactly what a REVS Checker report is.
Does it cover vehicles registered outside NSW?
Yes. The PPSR is national, so a security interest registered in any state or territory shows up, wherever the vehicle is registered now. Number plate searches work for all eight states and territories — just pick the one the plate is registered in.
Can I search by number plate?
Yes. The PPSR itself only searches by VIN or chassis number, so once you've paid we match your plate and state to the vehicle through the national registration database and run the PPSR search on that vehicle's VIN. If the plate matches more than one vehicle, we stop and ask which is yours first.
That extra lookup is why a plate search is a one-off fee against a one-off fee by VIN.
Where do I find the VIN?
On the build plate under the bonnet, stamped on the driver's door frame, in the lower corner of the windscreen on the driver's side, and on the seller's registration papers.
It is 17 characters and never contains I, O or Q — if you think you see an O, it's a zero.
What if the plate matches more than one vehicle?
Plates get transferred between cars, and a plate search finds the vehicle the plate is registered to now. If the plate matches more than one vehicle, we show you each one by the last characters of its VIN and you pick; the PPSR search does not run until you have. If it matters that it is one particular car, search by its VIN instead.
What if no vehicle is found?
The most common cause is the wrong state — a plate registered in Queensland won't be found under Victoria. No PPSR search is run, and you can try another state, or switch to a VIN search, on the same payment — you won't be charged again.
Which vehicles can I check?
Anything with a VIN or chassis number: cars, utes, vans, motorbikes, trucks, buses, caravans, campervans and trailers, anywhere in Australia.
Your report
How long does it take?
Usually a minute or two. A PPSR search is three sequential calls to the register and the certificate has to be generated before it can be sent.
You don't have to wait on the page — the search runs on our servers and your report is emailed as soon as it's ready. If we need you to confirm something first, such as which vehicle a plate belongs to, we ask you on the page.*
What is the certificate for?
It records what the register said at the moment you searched, with the date and time. Under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 a buyer who searched before buying is in a materially different position from one who did not. Keep it.
What are the free finance-change alerts?
Where finance (a security interest) is recorded against the vehicle at your search, for 14 days we ask the PPSR every hour whether it has changed — an existing loan changed or ended, or another one registered — and email you if it has (and text you, if you chose SMS). Deals take time, and finance can change while you are still negotiating.†
The PPSR tells us only that the finance changed, not what changed: to see the current details you need a new search, at the normal price. Stolen and written-off records are not included in the alerts.
Where no finance is recorded at your search, there are no alerts. Finance can be registered at any time, so run a new search as close as possible to paying for the vehicle.
Can you text me the result?
Yes — add SMS at checkout — free. You get one text with the headline answer (finance, stolen, written off) and a link to your full report, sent the moment the result is ready.
If the finance changes in the 14 days after your search, we text you about that too. Australian mobiles only, and you can reply STOP at any time to opt out permanently.
My report hasn't arrived.
Check your junk or spam folder first. If it isn't there, use the Find my report page: your reference opens the report straight away, and so does the VIN or plate you searched plus the email address you used.
Payment and privacy
Does the seller find out I searched?
No. A PPSR search is confidential. Nothing is sent to the owner, the dealer or the financier, and the search leaves no trace against the vehicle.
Do you store my card details?
No. Payment is handled by our payment provider and card details never reach our servers.
Are you a government website?
No. We are a commercial search service. We source information from the PPSR to provide reports to you. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an agent of the Australian Government, the Australian Financial Security Authority or the Personal Property Securities Register.
Can I get a refund?
See our Refund Policy. In short: if PPSR maintenance or a technical issue means your report isn't delivered, you can have a refund; once your report has been delivered, it isn't refunded. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law are not affected by anything in our terms.
* Delivery time. Reports are issued within minutes while the Personal Property Securities Register is available. The register has scheduled maintenance windows, set out in our Terms & Conditions. A search requested during a maintenance window is issued as soon as the register reopens.
† Free finance-change alerts. Where finance (a security interest) is recorded against the vehicle at your search, for 14 days we check with the PPSR every hour whether those details have changed, and tell you if they have. Where no finance is recorded, there are no alerts. The PPSR doesn't say what changed; a new search, at the normal price, shows the current details. Stolen and written-off records are not included.