How to check a car before you buy it in Kenya: NTSA search, logbook loans and the rest (2026)

Most bad car deals in Kenya do not come from a bad engine. They come from bad paperwork: a seller who is not the owner, a lender who still has rights over the car, or a car that is two years from being too old for Uber. Each of these can be checked before you pay, and most of the checks cost less than a tank of fuel.

Do them in the order below. The cheap paper checks come first, so you do not pay a mechanic to look at a car you could never own cleanly.

1. Run an NTSA search (copy of records)

The official check is the Motor Vehicle Copy of Records, done on eCitizen. You do not need to own the car to search it. You only need the number plate or the chassis number.

How:

1. Log in to eCitizen and open the NTSA service.
2. Go to Services and choose Motor Vehicle Copy of Records.
3. Enter the registration number exactly as it appears on the plate, or the chassis number, and submit.
4. Pay KSh 550.
5. Open your application history and download the record. It is usually ready straight away.

What it shows: the registered owner, the make and model, year of manufacture, chassis and engine numbers, the date it was first registered in Kenya, and the caveat status. A caveat is a restriction on the car, such as a lender's interest or a court order.

What it does not show: accidents, mechanical faults or tampered mileage. It is a check on the papers, not on the car.

2. Check the e-logbook is real

Since 10 June 2026 NTSA no longer issues paper logbooks. The certificate of registration is an e-logbook, which owners view, download and verify in their eCitizen account. A seller showing you an old paper logbook still has a valid car, but the current record is the one held online.

A printed or forwarded e-logbook can be faked like any PDF. To check one, use the free NTSA app: go to Services, then document verification, then verify registration certificate, and scan the QR code on the e-logbook. If it does not verify, or the details differ from your copy of records, stop.

3. Check for a logbook loan

A car used as security for a logbook loan can be repossessed by the lender even after you have paid the seller. Before you buy:

• Read the logbook and the copy of records for a financier, lender or charge. If a lender is named, the lender has rights over the car until the loan is cleared.
• An active caveat is a stop sign. It can block the transfer into your name.
• If the seller says the loan is "already cleared", ask for proof: the lender's clearance letter and a record that no longer shows the lender. Do not accept a promise.
• A car bought on asset finance often has the bank registered alongside the owner until the last instalment. The transfer needs the financier's release first.

Warning signs: a seller who cannot produce a clean logbook in their own name, pressure to pay in full before you have checked, and a price well below the market.

4. Match the chassis and engine numbers

Find the chassis number (VIN) on the car, usually stamped on the body and on a plate in the engine bay or door frame, and the engine number on the engine block. Both must match the copy of records and the logbook exactly.

A mismatch means a swapped engine that was never recorded, a re-stamped body, or a car that is not the one on the papers. Do not buy it, whatever the explanation.

5. Ask about fines

Since June 2026, NTSA can send a fine notice to the car's registered owner, not just the driver — so an unpaid fine can follow the car. Ask the seller in writing whether any traffic offence notices are outstanding on the car, and write into the sale agreement that fines for offences before the transfer are the seller's to pay. See the full list of traffic fines.

6. Check the car can work on Uber and Bolt

If the car is for ride-hailing, its year decides how long it can earn.

• Uber Chapchap takes cars from 2016 or newer to join in 2026. A car already on Chapchap may stay until 31 December of the year it turns 12.
• Uber Comfort and UberXXL take 2018 or newer.
• Bolt sets its rules per category in the Bolt Driver app. Its Kenya sign-up page gives 2012 onwards as the minimum for any car. Check the category you want before you buy.

The limit moves every January. A 2016 car joins in 2026 but may not in 2027. Use the can my car join Uber checker with the exact year, and read when to sell an Uber car before you agree a price.

7. Look for signs of tampered mileage

Odometer rollback ("clocking") is common in the used car market. The dashboard figure is easy to change; wear is not.

• Pedals, steering wheel and driver's seat. Worn-through pedal rubber, a shiny steering rim or a sagging seat do not belong on a "low-mileage" car.
• Driver's door striker plate. Heavy wear means many years of getting in and out.
• Service records. Each service should show a mileage that rises steadily. Gaps, or "lost" records, are a reason to discount the price or walk away.
• Import papers. For a car from Japan, ask for the auction sheet and compare its mileage with the dashboard.
• A diagnostic scan. Many modern cars store mileage in more than one control unit. A mechanic with a scanner can sometimes read a figure the dashboard no longer shows.

8. Get a mechanic to inspect it

Take the car to a mechanic you choose, not one the seller suggests. Ask for:

• a diagnostic scan for stored fault codes;
• a check of the engine, gearbox (most ride-hailing cars are automatic or CVT), suspension and brakes;
• signs of accident repair: uneven panel gaps, overspray, new welds;
• a road test, including a cold start;
• for a hybrid, a check on the hybrid battery.

The written report is also a bargaining tool. Repairs found now are money off the price.

9. For a recent import: see the import papers

A car imported in the last year or two should come with its import trail. KRA's list for clearing a used car through customs is:

• the original commercial invoice;
• the original bill of lading;
• the import declaration form;
• the original logbook from the country of origin;
• a certificate of roadworthiness.

For used cars from Japan and the other main source countries, KEBS's inspection agent checks the car before shipping, including an odometer verification, and issues the certificate of roadworthiness. Compare the mileage on that certificate with the dashboard.

Two more things for imports:

• Age: in 2026 KEBS only lets in used cars first registered in 2019 or later. A "fresh import" from 2017 is a story worth checking.
• Duty-free cars: if the car was imported duty-free (for example by a diplomat), KRA says the buyer must lodge an entry with customs through a clearing agent and pay the duty before the car is passed. Ask how it entered the country.

10. Pay only against the transfer

The transfer happens on eCitizen: the seller starts it, the buyer accepts and pays the transfer fee, and NTSA aims to finish within three working days. For most ride-hailing cars (1,201–1,500cc) the fee is KSh 2,615. See our logbook transfer guide for the steps and the full fee table.

Do not hand over the full price until the transfer is under way, and keep a written sale agreement that records the chassis and engine numbers and the mileage on the day.

Once the car is yours

If the car is going on Uber or Bolt with a driver, the next risk is the daily amount. Gariboss tracks the daily amount for each car, marks rest and garage days as not owed, matches the driver's payments into your own M-Pesa till, and sends you a WhatsApp message each evening saying who paid.