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.

What is the vehicle identification number?

A vehicle identification number (VIN), aka chassis number, is a unique code to identify individual vehicles.

Like a fingerprint, it distinguishes your car from others and also links to much vital information such as the vehicle’s brand, engine size, manufacture place, year, and so on. Besides, since VIN is recorded by government agencies like a license plate, you may be able to find all public records about a car by entering its VIN.

The first VIN dates back to 1954 when it came in a variety of configurations, ranging from 5 to 17 characters. It was not until 1981 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized it into a 17-digit. So if you get a vehicle identification number less than 17 characters, it’s likely from a pre-1981 vehicle.

The VIN is mainly divided into 3 parts — world manufacturer identifier, vehicle descriptor sections, and vehicle identifier section.

Each phrase or character also has its own meaning. For example, the 10^th character indicates its model year (T means it’s made in 1996). Some enthusiasts are keen to decode the VIN one by one. If you’re also interested in it, check the VIN tables on Wikipedia to decode your VIN.

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.)

Search Now

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.