REVS Check by Rego
The REVS register became the national PPSR in 2012. This is that check, by registration, in any state, with the official certificate.
What a REVS check is today
REVS (the Register of Encumbered Vehicles) was NSW's record of cars with money owing on them, and the other states each kept their own. On 30 January 2012 they were replaced by one national register, the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), so a REVS check today is a PPSR search.
The one search that gives a private buyer legal protection. If nothing is registered against the vehicle when you search it by serial number, you generally take the car free of any security interest that was not registered at that moment. The certificate is the evidence you looked.
What you get
- Vehicle identity
- Money owing check
- Written-off status, with the damage detail
- Stolen check
- Registration details
- Official PPSR certificate (PDF)
- Plain-English verdict
Common questions
- Is REVS still a thing?
- Not as its own register. NSW's REVS and the other state registers were replaced on 30 January 2012 by the national Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). People still say “REVS check”. Today it means a PPSR search, which is what this is.
- Can I do a REVS check by rego?
- Yes, that is what this page is for. The government's search needs the car's VIN or chassis number. Enter the registration and state here and we find it for you, show you enough of it to match against the car, and search on it.
- How much does a REVS check cost?
- $5.95 here, including the official PPSR certificate. The government charges $2.00 for the same search on its own site, but you need the VIN to run it. Finding the VIN from the rego and a plain-English verdict on the result are what the difference pays for.
- Is there a free REVS check in NSW?
- Not for money owing. Free state rego checks, like Service NSW's, tell you whether the registration is current. They don't search for finance. Only the PPSR does: $2.00 on the government site with the VIN, or $5.95 here by rego. The first step here is free, though: it shows you which vehicle the registration belongs to before you pay anything.
- How long does a REVS check take?
- Usually under a minute. Enter the rego, match the VIN we show you against the car, and pay. The report and certificate appear on screen and are emailed to you, so you can close the tab once you've paid.
- Do I get a REVS certificate?
- You get the official PPSR search certificate as a PDF, the document that replaced the REVS certificate. It carries the search number and the time of the search, which is your evidence that you checked before you bought.
- Does a REVS check show if the car is stolen or written off?
- Yes. The same search returns whether the vehicle is recorded as stolen or written off, and this check includes both alongside the money owing result.
- Does it work in every state?
- Yes. The PPSR is national, so this covers cars registered in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT. Search with the plate and the state it's registered in, or with the VIN if you have it.
The longer story: REVS check vs PPSR: what replaced REVS in Australia?
Buying in NSW? REVS check NSW