You can access vehicle history information — including past damage and vehicle manufacturing details — for free with services from Bumper, CARFAX, government agencies, and more.
8+ years writing about insurance, taxes, and personal finance
Certified public accountant
Janet applies her experience in personal finance, taxes, and accounting to make complex financial topics accessible. Her byline has appeared on numerous web media.
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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Shopping for a quality pre-owned vehicle can come with difficulties, but accessing certain resources and information about the vehicles in consideration can help make the process much smoother. A vehicle identification number (VIN) is a unique 17-digit code with letters and numbers assigned to every road vehicle.
Running a VIN check provides valuable insight into aused car’s history, such as any reported accidents or service visits that may affect vehicle performance and safety. Obtaining these reports is easy — and often free.
5 best options for free VIN checks
Many online resources allow you to complete free VIN checks, but some work better than others. Here are the best options for completing a free VIN check so you can make an informed decision when purchasing your next pre-owned vehicle.
Best for crime reports: National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) offers a free VIN check service to help you determine if a vehicle has any record of theft or if an insurance company has marked it as a salvage vehicle. This database only includes insurance records from participating insurance companies, so it won’t include information about accidents or other issues not reported to a participating insurance company.
You can either enter the VIN manually or take a photo of it to upload to the system. You can look up a maximum of five VINs in a 24-hour period from your IP address.[1]
Pros
Enter VIN manually or with a photo
Shows records of stolen or salvaged vehicles
Cons
Only includes records from participating insurers
Can’t look up more than five VINs per day
Best for safety recalls: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a government agency that allows people to check if the car they want to buy has any unaddressed safety recalls from the past 15 years. You only need to enter the VIN in its system and wait for your report.
Remember that this database provides limited information. It won’t show repaired safety recalls or safety recalls from more than 15 years prior. It also doesn’t have information on international vehicles and some ultra-luxury or specialty vehicles.[2]
Pros
Displays any unaddressed safety recalls for the past 15 years
No limits on how many VINs you can search
Cons
Doesn’t show repaired safety recalls
No information for international vehicles
Best well-known company: CARFAX
Likely the most well-known provider of vehicle history reports, CARFAX offers free VIN checks that provide fairly limited information. The company basically decodes the VIN to provide information on the car’s country of origin, make, model and trim, model year, assembly plant, and serial number. If you want more detailed information on the vehicle’s history from CARFAX, you unfortunately need to purchase a full report for $44.99.
That said, many car dealer websites, as well as sites like AutoTrader.com and Cars.com, now offer free CARFAX reports. So you may find links to free reports when shopping around in a car dealer’s online inventory. You should also be able to ask the dealer for this information when you visit a car lot.
Pros
Paid version includes detailed vehicle history information
Receives information from more than 151,000 data sources
Cons
Free version includes very limited vehicle information
Buying one report costs $44.99
Best comprehensive report: Bumper
Bumper provides affordable VIN checks to help you obtain detailed information about a particular vehicle’s history through reports compiled from information from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, J.D. Power, the NHTSA, other government agencies, and insurance companies.
Bumper reports include information on the car’s accident history, reports of damage, sales history, any salvage auction history, and estimated costs for maintenance, fuel, and insurance.
Pros
Has a seven-day trial membership for $1
Can access 50 vehicle history reports per month with a paid subscription
Cons
A one-month membership costs $27.99
Have to cancel trial membership by phone or email
Best for car history: EpicVIN
The VIN check from EpicVIN works by using a car’s VIN or license plate number. The report will confirm the accuracy of the odometer reading, show whether the car has a history of theft, and reveal any undisclosed or hidden damage. EpicVIN reports can also inform you whether a previous owner used the car as a taxi or rental car.
Pros
Has a three-day trial membership for $1
Offers a free VIN decoder for basic vehicle information
Cons
Have to pay $49.99 if you forget to cancel the trial membership
Per report cost ranges from $5.40 to $24.99, depending on the package size
Why you might want to check a car’s VIN
Checking a car’s VIN helps you ensure that the condition of the vehicle you may purchase matches the seller’s description. By running a free VIN check, you can access a wealth of vehicle history information that may affect its performance and safety.
You can find out its manufacturer date, the company that manufactured it, the original sale location, and whether the car has an unaddressed manufacturer recall. Checking a car’s VIN can also tell you if an insurer ever reported it as a stolen or salvaged vehicle and if it has undergone any serious damage as a result of accidents or other vehicle incidents.
In short, a VIN check helps ensure that you invest in a quality vehicle.
What VIN characters stand for
The vehicle identification number (VIN) consists of 17 characters connected to a specific automobile. Each character represents a different factor relating to the vehicle’s background and history.
Characters 1–3: The first three characters represent the world manufacturer identifier (WMI), which includes the vehicle’s make, manufacturer, and manufacturing location. The first character, for example, represents the vehicle’s manufacturing country, and cars made in the U.S. begin with a 1, 4, or 5.
Characters 4–8: The next five digits tell you the model, body type, restraint system, transmission type, and engine code for the vehicle.
Character 9: Based on a mathematical formula developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the ninth digit detects invalid VINs.
Character 10: The tenth digit represents the model year.
Character 11: The eleventh digit signifies the vehicle’s manufacturing plant.
Characters 12–17: The final six digits are the car’s production sequence numbers assigned to each vehicle on the assembly line.
Is paying for a VIN check worth it?
Paying for a vehicle identification number check can supply additional vehicle information that may be worth the extra cost. While you can find some information from a free VIN check, a paid service may provide access to more thorough information about a vehicle’s history, including its past owners, service records, and any accidents or damage that may have occurred.
Additionally, some services may offer additional features, such as tracking a car’s maintenance history and recall data. If you’re only interested in basic information about a vehicle’s history, a free VIN check should suffice.
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How much a paid VIN check costs
The cost of a paid VIN check varies depending on the provider and type of report. A basic report typically costs around $25 to $40, according to Kelley Blue Book.[3] You can usually buy a bundle of five reports for anywhere from $50 to $100. This option can be useful if you want to compare several vehicles at once.
Overall, the cost of a paid VIN check is extremely low compared to the price you’ll pay for a used vehicle. It’s important to do your research and compare different vehicles before making a purchase to ensure you purchase a quality car that matches your needs.
Best free VIN check services FAQs
Here are answers to common questions about free VIN checks, including what they are, how much they cost, and which services offer the best free VIN checks.
Can you run a check with a partial VIN?
It may be possible to run a check with a partial VIN, but the report will likely have limited information.[4] When running a check with only a partial VIN, some services can’t provide as much information or accuracy as a full VIN check.
What is the best free VIN check website?
It depends on what information you’re seeking. The National Insurance Crime Bureau is the best free VIN check website for viewing crime reports. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the best for learning about any unaddressed safety recalls. You can access free, limited information or paid, comprehensive information from VIN check websites like CARFAX, Bumper, and EpicVIN.
Is there a truly free VIN check?
Most private VIN check websites offer free access to VIN checks with limited vehicle information but require payment for more detailed vehicle history reports. Some websites, like Bumper and EpicVIN, offer brief trial memberships for $1 that you can use to access detailed vehicle history reports.
What will a VIN check tell you?
A VIN check can provide you with a wealth of information about a car’s past. This includes details such as the make and model, year of manufacture, and any recalls or other issues that may have occurred. It can also provide more in-depth information, such as the vehicle’s past owners, service records, and even performance ratings.
Are free VIN checks safe?
Yes. Most free VIN checks are safe, especially VIN decoders from reliable government resources, like the NICB and the NHTSA. That said, many VIN check websites that advertise free services actually require payment to view one or more full vehicle history reports.
Janet Berry-Johnson, CPA is a freelance writer with a background in accounting and income tax planning and preparation. She's passionate about making complicated financial topics accessible to readers. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and son and their rescue dog, Dexter. Visit her website at www.jberryjohnson.com.
Janet has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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