Statement of administrative sources: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Vehicle Information Database
Updated 12 January 2017
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Collection
Data on vehicles and registration marks are collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on first registration in the UK, when keepers provide updated information on the vehicle, and when vehicles are licensed or relicensed.
Any changes to the status of the vehicle (for example, change in keeper, change of keeper’s address, physical modifications to the vehicle, the registration of a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN), its license status and license dates) are logged on the database.
Application
The database is used by the DVLA for operational monitoring of vehicles, checking for vehicle excise duty (VED) evasion and tracking vehicles to keepers.
Access and dissemination
On a quarterly basis, a random sample of registration marks for freight vehicles are provided to the Freight Statistics Team in DfT for use in their Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transported survey of freight vehicles currently licensed.
Non-statistical publication
None by the department or DVLA.
Statistical publication
Statistics of vehicle stock and new registrations
Synergies
The statistics produced by DfT are unadjusted aggregates of the vehicles in the DVLA database.
Security and data protection arrangements
No names or addresses (other than postcode) are provided by DVLA to DfT. All data transfers take place via Egress. Only specific individuals in DFT have access to the database.
Statistical end products
Vehicle licensing statistics can be accessed from the vehicles statistics collection page.
These are published by the Vehicle Licensing Statistics Branch, DfT.
Email: vehicles.stats@dft.gov.uk
Administrative and management source or system
Title: Vehicle Systems Software (VSS)
Owner: DVLA
Purpose of database: For the operational management and licensing of vehicles
Unit of inquiry: registration marks on vehicles
Intend coverage: 100%
Completeness: 100%
Geographical coverage: United Kingdom
Lowest level of geographical coverage: Not applicable (N/A) - (vehicles registered by address on DVLA system; postcode on DfT system)
Extent to which statistical end-producers can influence the system: DfT statistics can only influence what is collected where there are statutory reporting duties.
Data definitions used: Provided in Vehicle Licensing Statistics
Classification systems used: Provided in Vehicle Licensing Statistics
Periodicity and timing: Original DVLA database updated on a daily basis. DfT holds snapshots as at the end of each quarter.
Access arrangements: DVLA supply cuts of the administrative data under strictly controlled arrangements, to various bodies (for example, business agents, Motor Insurance Bureau, police forces).
Dissemination procedures: The department has a publication calendar for announcing publication dates in advance.
Timing of release: DVLA provide snapshots of the original administrative database to selected organisations shortly after the end of the relevant quarter, month or week. DfT statistics releases are published quarterly and exact publication dates are available from the DfT forthcoming publications page.
Nature of changes to the system which can impact on the statistics: There are no major plans to change definitions or classifications.
Changes to the taxation class can result in changes in the output statistics, but this would only be a reallocation of vehicles to different classes.
Change process
The DVLA, in conjunction with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and DfT, can make some amendments to the nature of the data that is recorded. However, a large part of the data recorded is governed by regulations (Statutory Instruments) and therefore cannot be changed without following the relevant statutory process.
In certain circumstances the DVLA may change the taxation class of vehicles in line with current legislation.
The subsequent statistical production process
Validation procedures: Data are aggregated totals of vehicles directly from the database. Most validation is carried out on the raw data. Quality assessment, see vehicle licensing statistics.
Periodicity of release
Vehicle licensing statistics - annual
New registration and vehicle stock statistics - quarterly
Vehicle Excise Duty evasion - every 2 years
Potential impact of changes: The system may be changed to reflect new taxation classes or vehicle definitions.
Mitigation of discontinuities: Any significant changes may cause discontinuities in sub-sections of the series (for example, changes between taxation classes). However, the overall series should not be affected.
Most anticipated changes will introduce new data variables rather than change anything substantial within the dataset.