11 best options to complete a free VIN check
Many online resources allow you to complete free VIN checks, but some work better than others. Here are the best 11 options for completing a free VIN check so you can make an informed decision when purchasing your next pre-owned vehicle.
National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) offers a free VIN check service to help you determine if a vehicle is stolen or has been reported as a salvage vehicle. This database only includes insurance records from participating insurance companies, so it won’t include information about accidents or other issues not reported to a participating insurance company.
You can either enter the VIN manually or take a photo of it to upload to the system. You can look up a maximum of five VINs in a 24-hour period from your IP address.[1]
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a government agency that allows people to check if the car they want to buy has been affected by a safety recall in the past 15 years without being repaired. You only need to enter the VIN in its system and wait for your report.
Remember that this database provides limited information. It won’t show repaired safety recalls or safety recalls from more than 15 years prior. It also doesn’t have information on international vehicles and some ultra-luxury or specialty vehicles.[2]
VehicleHistory
VehicleHistory.com is an online service that helps people check a vehicle’s history, including its ownership and repair records. It provides quick and easy access to important information about any given car, including details such as auctions and incidents, historical sales, recalls, and complaints. This site pulls information from a variety of industry and government sources.
iSeeCars
iSeeCars is an online service that offers detailed, comprehensive vehicle history reports with a free VIN check. With this service, you can quickly and easily access information on any car, including its market value and average mileage for similar cars. iSeeCars also details the car’s selling history, whether it’s been reported stolen, and any unaddressed safety recalls.
CARFAX
Likely the most well-known provider of vehicle history reports, CARFAX offers free VIN checks that provide fairly limited information. The company basically decodes the VIN to provide information on the car’s country of origin, make, model and trim, model year, assembly plant, and serial number. If you want more detailed information on the vehicle’s history from CARFAX, you unfortunately need to purchase a full report for $44.99.
However, many car dealer websites, as well as sites like AutoTrader.com and Cars.com, now offer free CARFAX reports. So you may find links to free reports when shopping around in a car dealer’s online inventory. You should also be able to ask the dealer for this information when you visit a car lot.
VINPit
This online service provider offers VIN checks to help people determine a vehicle’s history. Through VINPit’s free VIN check, you can quickly and easily access important information about any given car, such as past owners, mileage accuracy, past accidents or damage, and safety and maintenance recalls.
VINCheckFree
VINCheckFree provides a free online service VIN check to help you research a vehicle. You can learn about the car’s damage records, ownership history, mileage, and more. Just enter the car’s VIN, and the system will scan through its records database and produce a report.
EpicVIN
The free VIN check from EpicVIN works by using a car’s VIN or license plate number. The report will confirm the accuracy of the odometer reading, that the car hasn’t been reported stolen, and reveal any undisclosed or hidden damage. EpicVIN reports can also tell you if the car was previously used as a taxi or rental car.
AutoCheck
AutoCheck, owned by Experian, is a comprehensive source for vehicle history reports. The free reports outline vehicle history records and provide a score showing how the vehicle compares to others like it. It also predicts the probability of the vehicle being usable in five years.
If you want more detailed information, you can upgrade to a paid report for $24.99 or buy a package of five reports for $49.99.
Bumper
Bumper provides free VIN checks to help you obtain detailed information about a particular vehicle’s history through reports compiled from information from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, J.D. Power, the NHTSA, other government agencies, and insurance providers.
Bumper reports include information on the car’s accident history, reports of damage, sales history, any salvage auction history, and estimated costs for maintenance, fuel, and insurance.
Car company decoders
Some car manufacturers and other websites offer VIN decoders. Simple decoders won’t necessarily tell you about the car’s accident and service history, but they can help you verify the legitimacy of the VIN on the car you’re thinking of buying.
A few VIN decoders to try include:
MDecoder: Decodes VINs specifically for BMWs
Ford truck enthusiasts: Decodes VINs for Ford trucks
Toyota: Decodes VINs for Toyota vehicles and provides information on the car’s year, color, technical specifications, and optional equipment installed
Chevrolet forum: Decodes VINs for Chevy vehicles built from 1981 to the present
Methodology
To compile this list of best options for a free VIN check, we researched numerous available VIN check services. For each free VIN check service, we gave special attention to convenience, vehicle information typically provided, reliability, and legitimacy of the check provider.
See Also: Car Insurance Quotes for Used Cars
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