There are a variety of reasons you might want to search for a license plate. For example, you may want to track down the vehicle owner if you were the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Or perhaps you’re looking to buy a used car and want to learn more about the vehicle’s history. Aside from visiting your state’s DMV and requesting a license plate lookup, you can get some basic information by conducting an online search. Read on to learn what information you can find with a license plate.

What information can I get from a license plate?

With just a license plate number, you may uncover the following information:

• The vehicle’s VIN
• Accident history
• Salvage and other branded titles
• Stand equipment
• Manufacturer recalls
• Vehicle specifications
• Sale history
• Market value
• Estimated ownership costs

All you need to do is to run a license plate lookup.

How to run a license plate lookup?

Option 1 – BeenVerified

BeenVerified is a professional public records search website that allows users to search a vehicle by VIN, License Plate or Year, Make and Model. By running a license plate search on BeenVerified, you may uncover valuable information about the vehicle that may help you make a better decision when buying or selling a car, such as accident history, salvage records, market value, safety recalls, and more! Besides, BeenVerified also gives you access to people search, reverse phone lookup, and other useful tools to help you learn more about the seller.

To run a license plate search on BeenVerified:

1. Go to BeenVerified Vehicle Search.
2. Enter a license plate number, select its state, then hit SEARCH.
   
3. Wait a few seconds for BeenVerified to scan for its database. Once the process is finished, you’ll see a detailed vehicle report.
   

Option 2 – Bumper

Bumper is a leading vehicle lookup website approved to provide NMVTIS vehicle history reports to public and commercial consumers. Bumper collects vehicle records from government agencies, insurance providers, car industry sources, and more. Whether you’re buying, selling, or researching a vehicle, Bumper could help you learn more about the vehicle and save your time and money.

To perform a license plate lookup on Bumper:

1. Go to the Bumper License Plate Lookup page.
2. Enter a license plate and select the state. Then hit SEARCH.
   
3. Bumper will search through its database to offer you a vehicle history report that may include accident history, recalls, market value data, in-depth ownership costs, and more.

Option 3 – EpicVIN

EpicVIN is an NMVTIS-approved data provider that has provided customers with comprehensive vehicle history reports for a decade. An EpicVIN vehicle history report will reveal odometer readings, previous owners, damages, accidents, recalls, photos, title information, and more.

To perform a FREE license plate lookup in EpicVIN:

1. Go to the EpicVIN License Plate Lookup page.
2. Enter a license plate and select the state, then hit the Check Plate button.
   
3. Within seconds, you’ll get the basic information about the vehicle. To view a full report, you can choose a package to upgrade your report.
   

License Plate Search FAQs

Is it legal to do a license plate search?

Yes, it’s completely legal to do a license plate search. By running a license plate lookup, you’ll get detailed information about the vehicle, except the owner’s identifying information and address.

Can I find someone by their license plate number?

NO. According to the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), it’s illegal for anyone to run a license plate lookup to get information on a person.

If you’re the victim of a hit-and-run, you can call on local police for help.

Can I find out the year and model of a vehicle from the license plate number?

Yes. By running a license plate lookup, you can find out a vehicle’s year, make and model, as well as the vehicle identification number.

Credit: Featured Image by Ralphs_Fotos from Pixabay

By Lily Qiu

Lily is a writer at supereasy.com, who specialized in coupons, lifestyle, games, etc. She enjoys searching for deals and coupons to save money and share with readers. Outside of writing, Lily spends her time reading novels and playing games.

View all of Lily Qiu's posts.