The Used Vehicle Information Package (UVIP), explained for Ontario dealers
The Used Vehicle Information Package — the UVIP, or what people search for as the "used car package" or "MTO used car package" — is a government document that summarizes a vehicle's registration history, lien status, and odometer records. Private sellers must give one to their buyer. Registered dealers are exempt when they sell retail, because you provide the mandatory MVDA disclosures instead — but you'll still run into UVIPs when you buy from the public. Here's what dealers actually need to know.
Search “used car package” or “MTO used car package” in Ontario and you land on the Used Vehicle Information Package — the UVIP. It's one of the most misunderstood documents in a private car sale, and the rules land differently for a registered dealer than for a private seller. This guide clears up exactly what it is, when it applies to you, and how it fits alongside the disclosures you're already required to make.
A UVIP ($20 from ServiceOntario) is a registry document a private seller must give their buyer. As a registered dealer you're exempt from providing one on retail sales — you make the MVDA mandatory disclosures instead — but a UVIP is still a useful due-diligence tool when you buy from the public.
What a UVIP is
The Used Vehicle Information Package is a document issued by the Ontario government (through ServiceOntario) that pulls together, for a specific vehicle:
- Vehicle details — make, model year, colour, body type, cylinders, and power;
- Ontario registration history — the chain of past and present owners and the municipalities they lived in;
- Lien information — any outstanding security interest registered against the vehicle, so a buyer doesn't inherit someone else's loan;
- Last known odometer readings — useful for spotting rollbacks;
- Wholesale and retail values and the minimum retail sales tax payable on registration;
- Any “unfit” or “dismantled” brand recorded against it.
It costs $20 and you order it from ServiceOntario online, in person, or by mail using the plate number, VIN, or registration details.
When a dealer needs one — and when you don't
This is where dealers and private sellers part ways:
- Selling retail: A registered dealer does not provide a UVIP to a retail buyer. The private-sale UVIP requirement doesn't apply to you, because the MVDA already makes you disclose a vehicle's history in writing — a stronger, dealer-specific obligation.
- Buying from the public: When you take a trade-in or buy a car from a private party, there's no law forcing you to pull a UVIP, but it's cheap insurance — it confirms ownership, flags liens before you pay, and gives you an odometer baseline.
- A customer selling to you: They don't need a UVIP to sell you their car. Selling to a dealership without one is legal and routine.
UVIP vs. your mandatory disclosures
Don't confuse the two — mixing them up is how dealers get into trouble. A UVIP is registry data: who owned it, what's owed, what the odometer said. Your mandatory disclosures under section 42 of O. Reg. 333/08 are what you know and must reveal in writing: accident or incident repairs over $3,000, structural damage, prior rental/taxi/police use, brands, odometer problems, and the rest. A clean UVIP does not discharge your disclosure duty — if you know the car was in a $6,000 collision, you disclose it regardless of what the registry says. We break the full list down in the OMVIC advertising and disclosure guide.
UVIP vs. a vehicle history report
A UVIP is not a Carfax. The UVIP is Ontario registry information; a history report aggregates accident, service, and out-of-province data from many sources — and it's the report that usually surfaces the accident and brand details behind your disclosures. Use both: the UVIP for ownership, liens, and tax; the history report for condition and cross-border history. Our vehicle history scanner reads a report and flags the section 42 items automatically.
Where the UVIP fits in a complete deal file
For dealers, the practical takeaway is simple: you're not handing buyers a UVIP, but the information a UVIP contains — verified ownership, no surprise liens, a clean odometer trail — is exactly what belongs in a well-built deal jacket. The document you do owe the buyer is a bill of sale with itemized fees plus the written disclosures, kept on file for six years. See the OMVIC deal file checklist for everything a complete file needs.
Keeping all of that straight — history checks, disclosures, lien verification, the bill of sale — is what Lot Jacket handles for independent Ontario lots: scan the documents, and the deal jacket assembles itself, audit-ready. Book a free 15-minute demo to see it on a real trade-in, or start with how to become a licensed dealer in Ontario.
Sources
- Used Vehicle Information Package — Government of Ontario
- Buy or sell a used vehicle in Ontario — Government of Ontario
- Mandatory Disclosures — OMVIC
- O. Reg. 333/08: General (under the MVDA) — Government of Ontario
Frequently asked questions
Do car dealers need a UVIP in Ontario?
No — registered dealers are exempt from providing a UVIP when they sell a vehicle retail, because they must instead make the mandatory written disclosures required under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act. The UVIP requirement falls on private sellers. That said, dealers still encounter UVIPs when buying from the public and can order one for any vehicle as a due-diligence tool.
What is the difference between a UVIP and OMVIC disclosures?
A UVIP is a Service Ontario document that reports a vehicle's registration history, lien status, wholesale/retail value, and last odometer readings. OMVIC/MVDA disclosures are statements the dealer must make in writing on the contract about the vehicle's actual condition and history — accident repairs over $3,000, brands, prior rental use, and the rest of the section 42 list. The UVIP is data from the registry; disclosures are what you, the dealer, know and must reveal.
How much does a UVIP cost and where do you get one?
A UVIP costs $20 and is ordered from Service Ontario — online, in person at a ServiceOntario centre, or by mail. You'll need the vehicle's plate number, VIN, or registration details to order it.
Does a customer need a UVIP to sell their car to a dealer?
No. When a consumer sells or trades their vehicle to a registered dealer, they don't need to provide a UVIP — it's legal and common to sell to a dealership without one. The UVIP obligation only applies to private-to-private sales.
Is a UVIP the same as a Carfax or vehicle history report?
No. A UVIP is a government registry document focused on Ontario ownership history, liens, odometer records, and tax owed. A Carfax or similar report pulls accident, service, and cross-jurisdiction data from many sources. They're complementary — smart dealers use both, and the history report is what surfaces the accident and brand information that drives your section 42 disclosures.
Go deeper
This guide is general information for Ontario used-car dealers, not legal or compliance advice. OMVIC requirements can change — always confirm the current rules with OMVIC or a qualified advisor.