What a PPSR check tells you (formerly a REVS check)

The Personal Property Securities Register — the national register that replaced the old REVS check in 2012 — shows whether money is still owed on a car. If finance is owing and the seller doesn't clear it, the lender can repossess the car from you.

A PPSR search costs $2 at ppsr.gov.au and takes a minute. You need the VIN, which is on the compliance plate, the registration papers and usually the lower windscreen. The certificate shows any registered finance, whether the car is recorded as written off, and whether it's reported stolen.

Run it yourself before you hand over money, and make sure the VIN on the certificate matches the car in front of you. WithProof is not affiliated with the PPSR.