312,231 vehicle offences were recorded by police in England and Wales in the year to June 2026, according to the Office for National Statistics. For a dealer, lender or insurer, every stolen or written-off vehicle that comes back to market without its history is a risk carried into stock, finance or cover.

MIAFTR (now VS&TD) stands for the Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register. Run by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), the UK database holds claims records relating to written-off and stolen vehicles. For dealers, insurers and software developers, using those records helps inform vehicle purchasing, risk assessment and customer reports.

What is MIAFTR (now VS&TD)?

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) runs MIAFTR, the UK insurance industry’s register of claims involving written-off and stolen vehicles. The database supports fraud detection, vehicle-history verification and stolen-vehicle recovery. MIB now provides access through Navigate under the name Vehicle Salvage and Theft Data, or VS&TD for short.

The move took effect on 24 November 2025, confirmed in MIB’s Navigate user guide. MIB uses the term “Motor Insurance Anti-Fraud and Theft Register”, but it is sometimes referred to elsewhere as the “Motor Insurers’ Anti-Fraud and Theft Register”.

MIAFTR at a glance

• Purpose: MIAFTR records insurance claims involving written-off and stolen vehicles.
• Operator: The Motor Insurers’ Bureau runs the database.
• Contents: MIAFTR records vehicle details, damage categories and theft or recovery updates.
• Users: Authorised professionals and provenance services use the data for verification and fraud prevention.
• Current name: The dataset is now named Vehicle Salvage and Theft Data (VS&TD) within Navigate.

These distinctions follow MIB’s description of its datasets and access arrangements.

What does MIAFTR record?

Each MIAFTR record concerns an insurance loss and the salvage or theft information linked to it. Records include loss and entry dates, vehicle status, insurer details, claim number, category, theft indicator and damage information. Available details are illustrated in the Experian Condition Check documentation on our website.

The sample response separates Date of Loss (date_of_loss) from Date of MIAFTR Entry (date_of_miaftr_entry), and Vehicle Status (vehicle_status) from Theft Indicator (theft_indicator). A loss date and an entry date answer different questions. Together they explain why a marker may not have been present when a vehicle was previously checked.

The data includes fields for Cause of Damage (cause_of_damage) and Damage Location (damage_location_items), which are not populated for every vehicle. Design reports and processes to handle records with missing fields.

How do MIAFTR write-off categories (Cat A, B, S and N) map to API data?

MIAFTR category data needs both a code and a readable explanation. Categories A and B cover vehicles that cannot return to the road; S and N identify repairable structural and non-structural damage.

The category meanings below follow GOV.UK’s insurance write-off guidance.

Category	Meaning
A	The entire vehicle must be crushed.
B	The body shell must be crushed; some parts may be salvaged.
S	Can be repaired following structural damage.
N	Can be repaired following non-structural damage.

In the condition-check response, the category code comes back in recovered_category and its readable label in recovered_category_desc, for example “N” and “Non-structure damage”.

Legacy C and D records in MIAFTR predate the S/N system.

Retain their original labels rather than attempting to translate them. The assessment changed from repair-cost considerations to structural damage, as Thatcham Research explained when the categories changed.

The feed fields map to the published Experian API response fields:

Feed label	One Auto API Field Name
Loss Date	date_of_loss
Loss Type	loss_type
Insurer	insurer_name
Theft Indicator	theft_indicator
Claim Number	insurer_claim_number
Status	vehicle_status
Category	recovered_category
Category description	recovered_category_desc

Who uses MIAFTR data, and why?

The records start in insurance and salvage handling. Insurers, self-insurers and their agents have recording responsibilities under the salvage code. Claims handlers and salvage firms may participate within those arrangements (see our scrap and salvage solutions); the ABI’s salvage code requires entries for categorised vehicles and explains DVLA notification.

Police and provenance services use the records to investigate theft and verify history.

Dealers, lenders and vehicle-history providers check the records before they buy or fund a vehicle, for example in car buying platforms and vehicle history checks.

MIAFTR vs the Motor Insurance Database: What’s the difference?

MIAFTR concerns write-off and theft claims, while the Motor Insurance Database (MID) concerns insurance status. Navigate holds Motor Insurance Policy Data (MIPD) from the former MID alongside VS&TD, as MIB’s Navigate user guide sets out. The datasets have separate purposes, as MIB’s data-recipient guidance confirms.

How can businesses access MIAFTR data via an API?

VS&TD is available directly through Navigate, but only to authorised professionals, and a new organisation needs MIB’s approval, under MIB’s data-recipient arrangements.

One Auto API provides an integration route through Experian, our data partner. The Experian Condition Check returns insurer condition records, including loss dates, categories and insurer details.

For broader provenance requirements, Experian AutoCheck combines condition information with finance, stolen and other markers.

The Experian Stolen Check provides police stolen-status information. Keep that check distinct from theft indicators within insurer condition records, as it refers to current stolen status, not previous claims which have been resolved.

MIAFTR frequently asked questions

Can you get a free MIAFTR check?

MIAFTR is not an open public search. Vehicle owners can request relevant personal data from MIB, but MIB cannot disclose markers predating their ownership through that route. Its data-access guidance explains the distinction.

How long does a vehicle stay on MIAFTR (VS&TD)?

MIB says it holds Vehicle Salvage and Theft Data for seven years, in its data and privacy guidance. Under the salvage code, MIAFTR entries for previous accidents must be kept, and the data is changed only to correct errors or, in exceptional cases, to re-categorise a vehicle.

Does MIAFTR record every write-off?

MIAFTR should not be treated as a complete accident history. The salvage code requires entries for categorised vehicles, but a missing marker cannot establish that no damage occurred. Follow GOV.UK’s used-vehicle checks, including identity and MOT checks.

How does a salvage check differ from MIAFTR?

A salvage check searches auction history, not insurer claims records. One Auto API’s Salvage Check API returns available lot dates, descriptions, mileage, damage details and image links. Some auction vehicles have accident or mechanical issues with no insurance marker, and a recently categorised vehicle can reach the market before its marker appears, so a salvage check adds a second source of evidence.

Get MIAFTR data into your product

Start by deciding what each returned marker should trigger in your workflow, such as a warning, a referral or a decline. Use the supporting claim details to investigate flagged vehicles where necessary.

Review the condition-check endpoint to match its response to your reporting requirements.

Compare plans and per-call pricing against your expected usage.

Use developer documentation to test your integration and response handling before going live.

To value categorised stock, the Salvage Bid Predictor predicts salvage auction bids from the vehicle, its category and its damage.