Glossary
PPSR
The Personal Property Securities Register: NZ's public register of security interests over personal property, including cars with money owing on them.
By Leverage Finance · Updated 17 July 2026
The PPSR is a government register that records who holds a security interest over what. When a lender finances a car, they register their interest; when the loan is repaid, the registration is discharged. Anyone can search the register for a small fee, usually by the car's VIN or plate.
For refinancing, the PPSR is background machinery: at settlement the old lender's registration comes off and the new lender's goes on. It's worth knowing about mainly because a leftover registration from a long-repaid loan can occasionally linger, and is easily discharged once spotted.
More detail in Secured loans and the PPSR.
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