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A PPSR report is one of the most important papers you can check before buying a used car in Australia. It tells you if the car has money owed on it, if it’s been written off, or if it’s stolen. But if you’ve never seen one before, all the boxes and codes can look confusing. Nevertheless, this guide will walk you through a real example, step by step, so you know exactly what you’re looking at.
What Is a PPSR Report?
PPSR stands for Personal Property Securities Register. Previouly this is known as REVS. A PPSR / REVS report is an official search certificate from the Australian Government. It’s provided under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009. This pulls data from a few different places. The sources NEVDIS, which is the national database, tracks stolen and written-off vehicles.
When you order a PPSR report, you get a certificate with a search number and a certificate number. Keep these numbers safe. You can use them later to check that your PPSR report is genuine on the official PPSR website.
The Top of the Report
At the top of your PPSR report, you’ll see the date and time the search was done, plus your search criteria. In our example, someone searched using a VIN, which stands for Identification Number. This is the safest way to search, because a VIN is unique to one car, like a fingerprint. Few called this VIN check too.
Check that the VIN on the PPSR report matches the VIN on the actual car. You’ll usually find it on the dashboard or door frame.
Registration Details Section
This part of the PPSR report tells you if anyone has a money claim over the car. In our sample, it says there’s no security interest registered. That’s good news. It means no bank or finance company has a legal claim on the vehicle. So you’re less likely to inherit someone else’s debt.
If this section shows a security interest, be careful. It could mean the seller still owes money on the car, and the debt could come with the vehicle to you.
Vehicle Details from NEVDIS
Next, your PPSR report lists facts about the car itself, straight from NEVDIS. This includes the make, model, colour, body type, engine number, and year of manufacture. Have a squiz at this section and compare it against the real car. However, if the engine number or VIN doesn’t match, it is better walk away. Yeh, that’s a big red flag.
Written-Off History
This is one of the most important parts of any PPSR report. It shows whether the car was write-off by an insurance company. In our example, the vehicle was marked as a repairable write-off due to hail damage, and later inspected again.
A repairable write-off means the car was damaged badly enough that insurance gave up on it- but it was allowed to be fixed and re-registered. Fair dinkum, this doesn’t always mean the car is unsafe, but you should always get a full mechanical check before buying. However, look at the codes too, like “Heavy panel” or “Light panel,” as these tell you how bad the damage was to each part of the car.
Stolen Vehicle Check
Your PPSR report will also tell you if the car is listed as stolen. In this example, it wasn’t. But remember, this doesn’t guarantee the car has never been stolen.
It only means there’s no current notification. Also note that Tasmanian stolen vehicle data isn’t always included, so a separate check might be needed for cars from that state.
Why You Should Always Get a PPSR Report
Buying a car without a PPSR report is a gamble. You could end up with a car that’s been in a flood, written off, or still has finance owing on it. A PPSR report only costs a small fee. Yet, it can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of stress.
However, every PPSR report can be verified later using the search number, so keep a copy somewhere safe. If anything looks off, or if you spot a stolen or written-off notice, contact the police or the relevant state road agency straight away.
Summary
Reading a PPSR report doesn’t need to be hard. Once you know what each section means, you can quickly spot warning signs and make a smarter choice. Nonetheless, before you hand over any cash for a used car in Australia, always get a PPSR report and take the time to read it properly.
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