A pre-registered car (or pre-reg) is a car that has never been owned or driven by a normal member of the public but has been registered to a dealer, broker or leasing company. From the day a car is registered it becomes a used car, even if it has never moved from the moment it landed at the dealership or even if it is still at the factory compound. So when you buy a pre-registered or nearly new car you won’t be the first owner on the car’s registration documents.