Policing.uk

Can police search your car?

Yes, but only with lawful grounds. Police can search your vehicle under PACE s.1 if they have reasonable grounds to suspect it contains stolen goods, offensive weapons, or items used in certain offences. Under s.163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, they can require you to stop, but stopping alone does not authorise a search.

The law

  • Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 1. Power to search vehicles in a public place for stolen or prohibited articles. Requires reasonable grounds for suspicion.
  • Road Traffic Act 1988, Section 163. Power to require a driver to stop. Does not include a power to search.
  • Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Section 23. Power to search vehicles for controlled drugs with reasonable grounds to suspect.
  • Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 60. Authorised stop and search without individual suspicion in anticipation of serious violence.

What to do

  1. If asked to stop, you must comply: failure to stop for a constable in uniform is an offence under s.163 RTA 1988.
  2. If the officer wishes to search your vehicle, ask on what grounds and under which power.
  3. Ensure the officer completes the GOWISELY requirements before searching.
  4. Request a copy of the search record.
  5. If you believe the search was unlawful, note the officer's details and make a complaint to the IOPC.

In detail

The power to stop vehicles and the power to search them are separate. Under s.163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a constable in uniform may require a person driving a motor vehicle on a road to stop. Failure to stop is an offence. However, the power to stop does not include a power to search the vehicle or its occupants.

The main search power for vehicles is PACE s.1, which allows a constable to search a vehicle in a public place if they have reasonable grounds for suspecting the vehicle contains: stolen or prohibited articles (offensive weapons, bladed articles, items for use in theft, fraud, or criminal damage), or fireworks in certain circumstances.

"Reasonable grounds" must be based on objective factors: the officer must be able to point to something that gives rise to the suspicion. PACE Code A (paragraph 2.2) states that reasonable suspicion cannot be based solely on a person's appearance, age, race, or the fact that they are in a high-crime area.

Before conducting a search, the officer must give you their name, the station they are attached to, the legal power being used, what they are looking for, and the grounds for the search (known as the "GOWISELY" requirements). They must make a record of the search and provide you with a copy.

Other vehicle search powers include: s.23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (reasonable grounds to suspect controlled drugs), s.47 of the Firearms Act 1968 (reasonable cause to suspect a firearm), and s.60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (authorised by a senior officer in anticipation of serious violence: no individual suspicion required, but the authorisation must be in place).

If arrested in or near your vehicle, the police may search the vehicle under PACE s.32(2)(b) for evidence relating to the offence for which you were arrested.

You are entitled to remain in your vehicle during a search unless the officer asks you to step out for safety reasons. The search must be limited to what is reasonably required to find the items being looked for.

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Last updated 16 October 2026