A MAN driving an unregistered car with no number plates has led police on a chase across the Hume Highway and through the hills of Wodonga after running from the vehicle.

And following Saturday’s incident, the confident criminal appears to have returned to the Holden utlity and performed burnouts, blowing the rear wheels of the car before again abandoning it.

Police say they know who the 18-year-old Wodonga man is and are confident of catching him.

Officers had tried to stop the blue utility on the Old Barnawartha Road about 4.30pm on Saturday after driving past the car and noticing it had no number plates.

After police performed a U-turn, the man stopped the car and ran from the vehicle down a gully, jumped several fences, crossed train tracks and ran across the northbound and southbound lanes of the Hume Highway.

He continued to run across Plunketts Road and through farm paddocks before disappearing into the hills.

About 10 officers — including police who were called in from Wangaratta — attempted to locate the man, and took part in a search of several sheds on properties on Plunketts Road.

Police spent about two hours searching for the man, who they identified through property inside the dumped vehicle, and made enquiries at his home.

A cooler with alcohol was also found inside the car.

Sergeant Wal Larkin said the man’s actions had been reckless and had escalated what would have been a straightforward traffic stop.

“The whole thing was completely reckless,” he said.

“We know who he is; we identified him through items in the vehicle.

“The vehicle wasn’t stolen.

“It was a straightforward traffic matter which could have escalated into something a lot worse due to his reckless behaviour.

“It could have been horrible.”