The registerCRiS (Central Registration & Identification Scheme), the UK national caravan register since 1992, operated by HPI for the National Caravan Council
The checkA CRiS check costs £17.95 and covers stolen (police + Interpol), outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and keeper history
The IDEvery post-1992 UK tourer has a 17-digit CRiS number etched on windows and stamped on the chassis. All must match.
The real riskDamp. Water ingress is the most expensive common fault on tourers and no database can detect it. Inspect physically, every time.
Step 1: verify the identity
Find the CRiS number on the window etchings and the chassis stamp near the A-frame. Every window should carry the same 17-digit number, matching the chassis and the paperwork the seller shows you. Walk away from ground-out etchings, mismatched numbers, or a seller who cannot produce the CRiS registration document: those are the tell-tale signs of a stolen caravan wearing another identity.
Step 2: run the CRiS check (£17.95)
We will be straight with you: we do not sell caravan checks, because only CRiS holds this data. Their check at cris.co.uk costs £17.95 and covers theft (UK police and Interpol), outstanding finance recorded by the specialist caravan finance houses, insurance write-offs, and the keeper record. On a £15,000 to £30,000 caravan it is obvious value. Run it against the CRiS number you verified in step 1, not one the seller reads out to you.
Step 3: the physical checks no database covers
- Damp readings. Around every window, in each corner, along floor edges and under lockers. Under 15 percent is normal; 15 to 25 percent needs investigation; over 25 percent means major repair bills, renegotiate or walk.
- Tyres by age, not tread. Caravan tyres age out before they wear out. Check the date code: over 5 years old, budget for a pair regardless of how they look.
- Chassis and A-frame. Corrosion, cracked welds, bent members from kerbing or overloading.
- Gas and electrics. Ask for the last habitation service report; a current one from an NCC-approved workshop is the gold standard.
- Professional inspection. A pre-purchase habitation inspection costs £150 to £300 and pays for itself on anything over about £8,000.
Motorhomes have number plates and full DVLA records, so they can be properly checked: stolen, finance, write-off, mileage and identity, in minutes, for £9.99.
Run a motorhome check →Can I do an HPI-style check on a touring caravan?▼
No. Touring caravans are not registered with DVLA, have no number plate of their own, and do not appear in the vehicle-check databases that cover cars, vans and motorhomes. The only history register for UK touring caravans is CRiS (the Central Registration and Identification Scheme), run by HPI on behalf of the National Caravan Council. A CRiS check costs £17.95 and is the industry-standard history check for tourers. Any website offering a cheap caravan reg check is checking the tow car, not the caravan.
What does a CRiS check cover?▼
A CRiS check verifies the caravan against its 17-digit CRiS number (the caravan equivalent of a VIN): whether it has been reported stolen to UK police or Interpol, whether specialist finance houses have recorded outstanding finance against it, whether an insurer registered with the scheme has written it off, and its registered keeper history. It covers UK-built caravans registered since 1992, plus pre-1992 and imported caravans registered voluntarily.
Where do I find the CRiS number?▼
The 17-digit CRiS number is etched into the caravan windows and stamped on the chassis (usually near the A-frame), and on later caravans it is also carried in a hidden electronic tag. Check that every window shows the same number and that it matches the paperwork: mismatched or ground-out etching is the classic sign of a stolen caravan with a swapped identity.
What checks matter besides the CRiS check?▼
The big money risk on tourers is damp, not paperwork. Get a damp meter reading around windows, corners and floor edges (anything over about 15 percent needs investigation, over 25 percent walk away or renegotiate hard). Check the chassis for corrosion or bent members, tyres for age cracking (caravan tyres age out before they wear out; over 5 years old means budget for replacement), the gas and electrics for a recent service, and the service history book. A professional pre-purchase habitation inspection costs £150 to £300 and is worth it on any caravan over about £8,000.
Is a motorhome checked like a car or like a caravan?▼
Like a car. Motorhomes and campervans have registration plates and full DVLA records, so a standard vehicle history check covers them: stolen, outstanding finance, insurance write-off, mileage and identity. That is exactly what our £9.99 motorhome check does.