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VIN Check | Get Your Vehicle History Report

clock Updated: September 15, 2023

VIN Check | Get Your Vehicle History Report

$1 VIN Check

Enter VIN number to get a detailed vehicle history report.


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Just like humans have social security numbers, each vehicle is assigned with a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) that uniquely identifies it. Researching that number may give you a summary of a vehicle’s previous life, including its specs, assembly plant, registration, title status, miles traveled, maintenance records, whether it has a lien against it, and so on.

And the good news is, you don’t always have to part with your hard-earned money to get a VIN checked. In this article, we’re showing you 5 free-ish ways to check a VIN number. Read on…

1. Check a VIN number with BeenVerified

BeenVerified offers a powerful portal for you to get a deep dive into a vehicle’s past. Just enter a VIN, license plate number, or vehicle model, then the engine will dig up a wealth of available information and compile it into an easy-to-read report for you. This may include specs, ownership history, title status, owner details, accident records, theft records, salvage records, safety recalls, odometer readings, maintenance history, etc.

Here is how to run a VIN check with BeenVerified:

  1. Go to BeenVerified Official Website.
  2. Enter the VIN, and click Search.
  3. Wait a few seconds as BeenVerified gathers records for the vehicle and generates a report based on your vehicle.

2. Look up VIN with NICB

NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) is a government agency with a mission to protect consumers from stolen and unsafe motor vehicles. Its free VIN check service allows you to check the national database to determine if a vehicle has ever been declared unrecovered stolen or total loss (aka. salvage). 

  1. Go to NICB.
  2. Enter the VIN number, tick the box next to I agree and complete the captcha. Then click SEARCH VIN.
  3. Wait a few seconds for NICB to scan the data and show you whether the vehicle has a theft or total loss record.

Note that NICB VIN check isn’t a VIN lookup tool by its nature, so you won’t get other types of information such as an automobile or motorcycle’s specs, owner details, accident history, odometer reading, or sales listings.

3. Run a safety check with NHTSA

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  regulates the safety of motor vehicles and related equipment. In an endeavor to keep people safe on American roads, it provides a free VIN lookup service to help you learn if a specific vehicle and its equipment – seats, tires, airbags – have any safety-related issues or recalls.

To run a VIN lookup at NHTSA, all you need to do is feed the VIN number into its search box:

Checking the VIN against NHTSA may give you some needed peace of mind regarding the reliability and roadworthiness of a motor vehicle.

4. Get a vehicle history report at a used car site

Today most big name used car research and shopping websites have integrated vehicle search in their engine. So you can check out their websites to see if they provide VIN lookups for free. For example, you can perform up to 5 VIN lookups atiSeeCars with its free plan; CarFax allows you to run a free Make & Model search on its list of used cars – remember though, CarFax’s VIN lookup is prohibitively expensive, with one single report setting you back $39.99.

5. VINFreeCheck

Last but not least on our free VIN checklist is VINFreeCheck. Despite “Free” in its name, it’s actually a paid service offering basic information as a taster. Their free reports include a vehicle’s make, model, and country of origin, but barely anything more. If you need more details, you’ll be required to pay. A single report costs $8.99.


That’s it – 5 free ways to check a VIN number without spending a dime. Hopefully, it helps. If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, you’re more than welcome to leave us a comment below, thanks!

Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik

exclamation-blueThere’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....

About this article

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Meet Enya – a passionate content writer who loves crafting insightful and helpful articles. Since 2018, she's built a reputation as a reliable source of knowledge. She explores topics far and wide, from online dating and people search tools to new streaming platforms to identity theft protection services and the latest tech.

When researching, Enya digs in deep. She sees to it that every article is backed by first-hand testing, rigorous analysis, and/or thorough investigation. Her commitment to in-depth research and comprehensive testing ensures her articles deliver trusted guidance readers can count on.

Embracing both quiet and thrill, Enya is a reserved extrovert who happily cruises between me time and socializing. Outside of writing, you can find her soaking up sights and sounds, chilling with friends or lost in a good book.

About this article

round-success 90 Revisions

file-success Reviewed by BeenVerified

Enya Zhang

Writer

Meet Enya – a passionate content writer who loves crafting insightful and helpful articles. Since 2018, she's built a reputation as a reliable source of knowledge. She explores topics far and wide, from online dating and people search tools to new streaming platforms to identity theft protection services and the latest tech. When researching, Enya digs in deep. She sees to it that every article is backed by firs [...]

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