Are you trying to track down a vehicle owner but all you know is their license plate? Or maybe you are wondering what your license plate can say about you? Though a number plate lookup doesn’t work like a GPS, it does provide insights into the vehicle’s history.
Here in this guide, we’ll explain how to conduct a license plate search and what information you can expect to find.
How to Look Up a License Plate Number
1. License Plate Data
To search for vehicle information using a plate number, the first place to check is this free license plate lookup tool LicensePlateData.
Below is a search report I got from the tool, which includes information such as the vehicle’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), year, make, model, color, and so on. If you are after basic information like this, try this tool to see if you can find anything useful.
Please note that the free account is limited to 3 searches. While many users have had success with this tool, some users on the RedFlagDeals forum have reported inaccurate results1. We suggest using this tool as a source of information and verifying the information you find.
2. Bumper
Another tool we recommend when trying to investigate a vehicle is Bumper. Bumper is a paid tool that is designed to search for information associated with vehicles. It can reveal a lot of information and help you make informed choices when you’re looking to buy a used car, doing a search with a license plate or VIN.
Bumper lets you look up a number plate and get a vehicle history report that may contain the following information:
- Market value
- Sale history
- Vehicle specifications
- The car’s VIN
- Accident history
- Salvage and other branded titles
- Standard equipment
- Manufacturer recalls
Note you probably won’t be able to find any information if the license plate is out of date.
3. Request it from DMV
If you’re trying to look up your own driving or vehicle record, you can make the request to the State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
For example, if you live in California, you typically need to follow these steps to make the request: First, you need to go to the California DMV website; next, fill out the necessary forms and provide information such as your license plate or vehicle identification number; finally, make the payment and submit your request following the instructions on the website.
Final thoughts
If you want to look up a license plate number for basic information associated with the vehicle, we recommend a free tool like LicensePlateData. For a more detailed vehicle history report, your best bet is with a paid service like Bumper. If you’re in need of your vehicle records, another good option is to request copies from the state DMV.
Hopefully, this post helped. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any suggestions or questions.
- 1000faces. (2016, May 20). Want to look up a licence plate? [Online forum post]. Redflagdeals. https://forums.redflagdeals.com/want-look-up-licence-plate-2537996/ ↩︎
There’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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