Vehicle identification number, or VIN for short, contains much information about a vehicle. If you want to run a vehicle identification number lookup, whether on pre-1981 cars, classic cars, motorcycles, Jeep, or trailers, check this post to get your report quickly.
How to get a vehicle report by VIN?
There are many reasons that you want to obtain a detailed report about your car, including but not limited to buying/selling a used car, figuring out the exact specs, finding previous owners, etc.
1. Uncover theft or salvage records with NICB
National Insurance Crime Bureau is a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting insurance fraud and crime. You can make full use of its VINCheck tool to determine if your car has a record of an insurance theft claim or has been reported as a salvage vehicle.
Step 1. Head to NICB’s official webpage.
Step 2. Enter a VIN or take a photo of a VIN to upload into VINCheck. Then check the box and click SEARCH VIN.
Step 3. It will list the search results.
2. Run a VIN lookup with BeenVerified
Powered by an approved NMVTIS data provider, BeenVerified dives deep into a vehicle’s past. You may find some facts hidden by car dealers in the report: theft records, accident history, salvage, damage, and others.
All you need to do is just fill in the box below with the VIN you find and click Search Now. (You can search for both pre-1981 and post-1981 vehicle identification numbers.)
You’ll be redirected to a new page where a detailed report will be generated. Browse the report to check for different sections: title records, recalls, market value, vehicle specs, warranties and so on.
3. Request record from local DMV
Generally, you can submit a form and pay a fee to get car records from your local Department of Motor Vehicles. But rules may vary in different states. You can check a vehicle request document provided by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators to find out your state’s law. Follow its guidelines to finish the request.
4. Search VIN with Bumper
With over 1 million monthly visitors, Bumper provides thousands of reports weekly to help people make informed car-buying decisions. It complies with reliable, regularly updated information from government agencies, insurance providers, and car industry partners, and makes it accessible to the public.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1. Go to the Bumper VIN search page.
Step 2. Enter a VIN number and click Search to perform a vehicle identification number lookup.
Step 3. Your report will be ready in minutes. You may find abundant information in the report to help you have a clearer idea of the car and make better negotiations with the dealer.
That’s all for decoding vehicle identification numbers. If you have other methods or knowledge to share with us, please don’t hesitate to leave a word below.