CARFAX may be on your list when you plan to purchase a used car or want to get a vehicle report. It’s a good data provider boasting the most comprehensive vehicle history database available in North America. You can expect an extremely detailed report from it and the high price. This post will show you how much a Carfax report costs and its free or cheaper alternatives.

How to get a Carfax report?

CARFAX reports are available for vehicles manufactured since 1981 when the 17-character VIN was standardized. Providing information mainly about cars and light trucks, it’s powered by the CARFAX database containing billions of records from more than 100,000 domestic and international sources.

Obtain a Carfax report following the steps below:

Step 1. Visit carfax.com and click Get CARFAX Reports.

Step 2. Enter your car’s Vehicle Identification Number or license plate, and click Get CARFAX Report.

Step 3. Then you’ll be redirected to the payment page where you can view the price of Carfax. it’s billed by the amount of report:

Step 4. After the payment, you can view your purchased report which may include:

If you find the Carfax reports cost you a lot, you’re not alone. When you need to get only one vehicle report or more than 5 reports, Carfax is obviously not your best choice. Check the free or cheaper alternatives below.

3 best alternatives

Apart from Carfax, there are many counterparts on the market offering a budget and helpful vehicle reports, the 3 best ones are BeenVerified, Bumper, and EpicVIN. All of them are approved NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System) data providers.

BeenVerified

Founded in 2007, BeenVerified has been offering affordable access to public records for the public. You can research a vehicle by VIN or license plate, a property by address, and a person by name, phone number, email address, username, and address. With over 10 years of data expertise and more than 100 million searches performed, it provides excellent and detailed vehicle reports as CARFAX does.

Step 1. Go to the BeenVerified vehicle search page.

Step 2. Fill in the VIN or license plate to start your search.

Step 3. It will generate your report in minutes. Once done, you can unlock the report with a subscription account. After that, check the report for accidents & salvage records, vehicle specifications, ownership history, sale listings, market value, theft records, recalls & warranties, and more.

Bumper

Our second choice is Bumper, which gains access to vehicle data from NMVTIS, JD Power, NHTSA, and many other auto industry leaders. As a website focusing on vehicles, it features numerous services: vehicle report, real-time car-monitoring, vehicle comparison tool, market value tool, and more. From its report, you can learn important information about a vehicle: sale history, accident history, damage records, recalls, ownership, title issues, and more.

Step 1. Go to the Bumper homepage.

Step 2. There are 3 search types available: VIN, license plate, year, make & model. Choose based on your information, fill in the box, and click SEARCH.

Step 3. Wait for it to sort through its database and compile a report for you. You need a membership to unlock the report when it’s ready.

Besides, the data provider is offering Bumper Rewards for its subscribers including 4 months of free streaming, 30 days of unlimited free car washes, discounted accessories, local auto repair services, and more.

EpicVIN

Aim to empower prospective buyers with an informed insight into a vehicle’s history, EpicVIN checks for the following information about a vehicle: odometer readings, title information, junk and salvage titles, flood damage history, lemon history, service records, accident history, and more. It gathers well-detailed info from official U.S. government sources throughout the nation.

Step 1. Head to the EpicVIN search page. Then type your VIN or license plate to start vehicle research.

Step 2. You can obtain some basic information for free, such as vehicle engine, odometer reading, sale history, last selling price, and more. To view a full report, you’re required to pay for it.

Since these vehicle searches are performed based on different databases, the reports you get may vary. However, if you prefer a free alternative, check the final one.

NICB (free theft record checker)

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a non-profit organization providing public service for years. Its VINCheck, a free lookup tool, reveals a vehicle’s theft record and total loss records for free. Just enter a VIN to figure out if the used car you want has some hidden facts.

Since the Carfax report cost is not that friendly, we suggest that you try these alternatives as long as they offer budget, quick, and reliable information.