When it comes to buying a car, you shouldn’t rely solely on sellers’ claims about specs. What’s written on paper may not always align with what’s visually apparent. As a Jaguar Forums user¹ did when eyeing an XK: Despite seeing Speed and Black packs, he ran a VIN check to confirm the factory-equipped options. 

Running a VIN lookup is not too hard at all. In this article, we’ll show 4 ways to look up specs yourself, so you know exactly what’s really installed for your future ride.

1. Check vehicle specs with BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a powerful vehicle lookup tool to learn about a car’s features and components. Just enter its VIN number, and you will be able to dig up a treasure trove of information linked to the car: vehicle details, fuel type, price, ownership costs, as well as other key details that could help you make an assessment of the functionality of the car.

To run a VIN check with BeenVerified, just go to BeenVerifified VIN Search, then enter the VIN and click Search.

Wait a few seconds as BeenVerified gathers records for the vehicle and generates a report.

2. Get vehicle history reports with Bumper

Bumper is a vehicle lookup tool built to take care of your vehicle-related needs. It is 5 products in one, allowing you to get in-depth vehicle history reports, check out inventory from 5000+ car dealerships & private sellers, run side-by-side vehicle comparisons, estimate a car’s worth, as well as monitor a car’s real-time data.

1. Go to Bumper Vehicle Search.
2. Enter the VIN and click SEARCH.
   
3. Sit tight as Bumper builds a vehicle history report based on the vehicle. From the report, you can uncover its specifications and other important bits about the vehicle that may affect you as a potential owner.
   

3. Look up vehicle specs with EPICVIN

Just like Bumper, EpicVIN is an NMVTIS data provider that aims to protect consumers from unsafe and stolen vehicles. It constantly updates its database, which makes it a popular source for accurate VIN lookup reports.

With EPICVIN, you’ll be able to unlock the full life story of a vehicle in its lifespan: car parts, manufacturer plant, engine type, airbags, and potential unwelcome surprises such as mileage inconsistency, hidden damages, theft records, photos of previous sales, remodifications, and so forth.

1. Go to the EPICVIN official website.
2. Type the VIN number as suggested, then click Check VIN.
   
3. Wait a few seconds as EPICVIN checks the VIN against its database and compiles a report for you, which contains important information about a vehicle.
   

4. Acquire safety info from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, short for NHTSA, provides a free lookup service to the public to help determine if a vehicle or its equipment (e.g. tires, airbags, seats) has safety-related defects. Although it does not generate a complete report about car specs, it will alert you to potential safety hazards.

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

What is VIN and Where is VIN located?

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a 17-digit alphanumeric code that’s assigned to an automobile when it’s manufactured.

As a unique identifier, a VIN holds all the important details about a specific vehicle when available:

• Specifications, including the make, model, manufacturer plant, engine type, braking system, trim, body, color, etc.
• Accident history
• Service and maintenance history
• Safety recalls
• Odometer readings
• Title history
• Theft history
• etc.

A VIN is often located on the lower-right corner of the dashboard (viewable through the window shield on the driver’s side), like this:

You might also find the VIN:

• On the front of the engine block
• On the car chassis, near the windshield washer fluid container
• On the rear wheel well, directly above the tire
• Under the spare tire in the trunk
• On the inside of the driver’s door
• On the driver’s side door post
• On the insurance, title, and registration documents.

Once you get access to a car’s VIN, you can run a VIN lookup to find its specs.

People also ask…

When trying to check specifications by VIN, buyers tend to have some other common questions around getting details and what to do when issues arise. Here are a few other questions people also ask:

1. What is a VIN decoder?

A VIN decoder is a tool that unravels the unique vehicle identification number on a car to uncover its specifications, history, and safety issues. For instance, an online forum member used an online VIN decoder to identify battery and starter details on an inherited old vehicle, which helped determine the right parts to order for repairing it back to working condition².

After researching various VIN decoder options, we found services like BeenVerified, Bumper, and EPICVIN provide more comprehensive vehicle checks while the NHTSA decoder focuses solely on safety-related specifics. Ultimately the level of detail depends on the depth of the VIN database.

2. What exact specifications can I find from a VIN lookup?

A VIN lookup can provide very detailed specifications, including:

3. What if the seller refuses to provide the VIN?

Not being able to access and confirm the VIN means you won’t get critical specification data, ownership history, accident reports, or safety recall information.

In a Corvette forum discussion³, a potential buyer inquired about the VIN to run a vehicle history report on a car for sale. However, the seller refused to provide it and told him to move on. Though some advised building trust first, most responses warned lack of transparency on the VIN risks hidden issues and recommended avoiding the purchase without seeing it upfront.

Given the potential for financial loss and hidden problems, our advice echoes the consensus guidance to walk away. Without transparency through access to the VIN, you lose the ability to verify condition, maintenance records, title validity, accidents, and recall status. The inability to confirm these key aspects poses too great a risk for any buyer to take on. Proceed with extreme caution if considering purchasing a used vehicle without VIN transparency upfront or be prepared to potentially lose your investment.

4. Is there a completely free VIN decoder?

There is no reputable service that provides completely free, full vehicle history reports and specification decoding based solely on the VIN. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers free basic reports that cover safety recalls and complaints only. Some vehicle history services like EpicVIN and BeenVerified provide one free report as a preview, but charges apply for complete reports and full access to their databases. Your best option is to get low-cost trials to get comprehensive details. Ultimately you get what you pay for, so free VIN checks will be very limited.

That’s it – 4 helpful methods to help you run a VIN to look up a car’s specs. Hopefully, it has shed some light on your car-buying process. If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, you’re more than welcome to let me know in the comments. Thanks!

References:

1. General Tech Help [GGG]. (2018, November 25)  Access build sheet via VIN? [Online forum post]. JaguarForums.
   https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/general-tech-help-7/access-build-sheet-via-vin-211056/  ↩︎
2. r/AskMechanics [SeesawUpstairs9284]. (2023, September 18) What can you tell from a VIN number? [Online forum post]. Reddit.
   https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMechanics/comments/16lf6r1/what_can_you_tell_from_a_vin_number/ ↩︎
3. C4 General Discussion [Jitsu]. (2018, August 24) Why would a seller not want to provide a VIN? [Online forum post]. CorvetteForum.
   https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c4-general-discussion/4180471-why-would-a-seller-not-want-to-provide-a-vin.html ↩︎

Image Credit: Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash