Finding out who owns a car can be useful for a variety of reasons. Maybe you want to buy a used car and want to know its history, or perhaps you were involved in a hit-and-run accident and need to track down the owner. Whatever the reason, there’re several ways to look up the owner of a car using the vehicle identification number (VIN).

What is a VIN and where to find it

A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique identifier for modern vehicles that consists of 17 characters and numbers.

Depending on the brand and model of the vehicle, you may be able to find the VIN in several places, such as the driver’s side door jamb, dashboard, steering wheel, engine block, or spare tire well.

1. Use an online VIN lookup tool (hassle-free)

While it may initially seem challenging, but searching for vehicle details such as ownership information can actually be quite simple with the use of online vehicle lookup tools. One such tool is BeenVerified, a highly regarded VIN lookup site. BeenVerified offers a robust VIN lookup tool that uses the latest data from NMVTIS-approved sources, covering over 150 million vehicles in its constantly updated database.

By running a VIN check, you’ll obtain a detailed report that may include:

To start your search, just follow the instructions below:

1. Go to BeenVerified vehicle research page. Enter the VIN number and click SEARCH. If you have a license plate number, you can try that too.
   
2. Wait a few seconds for BeenVerified to search its records. The resulting report will contain all available data.
   

In fact, BeenVerified offers 7 different features in total: People Search, Reverse Phone Lookup, Reverse Email Search, Reverse Address Lookup, Username Search, Unclaimed Money Search, and Vehicle Lookup. You could, for example, use the site tolearn more about the car dealer with a name or a phone number.

2. Check with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

In the United States, One of the most straightforward ways to find out who owns a car is to check with the DMV, which maintains records on all registered vehicles in the state, including information on the owner. However, confidential information is protected by the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act to prevent misuse. To request this type of information from the DMV, you must provide a valid reason for the request.

To get the owner information from the DMV, you can visit your local DMV office in person or check the DMV website. Each state has its own DMV website with different procedures. If you know the state in which the vehicle is registered, you can find it by searching “state + DMV” on Google.

Most DMV websites have a section dedicated to vehicle record searches. It might be called “Vehicle Registration”, “Records”, “Title Services” or “Public Vehicle Records.”

The specific procedures, such as whether to submit the request online, by mail, or in person, vary by state. Be sure to refer to the website for detailed instructions.

In California, for instance, online requests and completion are only allowed for individuals seeking their own vehicle or vessel registration record. To request another person’s record, you’ll need to download a form to request a copy of another person’s driver or vehicle/vessel records. You should also include a check or money order for the $5 fee (only online requests are $2) and mail the completed form and payment to the address provided on the form.

The mail-in form typically requires requester information, the target vehicle’s plate/VIN (and optionally, make/year), and more. Since it involves another individual’s sensitive data, you’ll need to specify your DPPA-compliant reason for looking up the record.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that DMV records come with limitations. Some states may limit records to 10 years, and periodic database updates may lead to older information being purged. Additionally, response times can vary. For instance, a California resident made three direct inquiries hoping to trace his car’s history, but received no response from the local DMV¹.

If you are unable to find the information you need through the DMV, you may want to consider using other resources such as online vehicle lookup tools.

3. Check with the car dealership or manufacturer

If the car is still under warranty or if you know the dealership where it was purchased, you can try contacting the dealership or the manufacturer to find out who owns the car. They may be able to provide you with the owner’s information if you provide the VIN of the vehicle.

To check with the dealership, you need to locate the dealership where the car was purchased. Then contact the dealership and explain that you are trying to find the owner of a car with a specific VIN. When you provide the VIN of the car to the dealership representative, the dealership representative will look up the VIN in their records and provide you with the owner information, if it is available.

Similarly, to check with the manufacturer, you should locate the manufacturer of the car. This information can usually be found on the car’s registration or by looking at the make and model of the car. Contact the manufacturer and see if the manufacturer representative is able to look up the VIN in their records and provide you with the owner information.

Additionally, if the car is still being financed, the lender may have information on the owner. You can try contacting the lender to see if they can provide you with the owner’s information.

Summary

In this article, we discussed how to use a VIN number to find out more about a vehicle, including information about the owner. It’s always a good idea to know as much as possible about a vehicle before making a purchase or otherwise committing to it, as this can help protect you from potential scams.

We hope that the information provided in this post will be helpful to you and assist you in making an informed decision. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

1. General [Nickleback]. (2016, Jul 26). Car history search in California [Online forum post]. The ‘E’ Type Forum. https://forum.etypeuk.com/viewtopic.php?t=6944
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