8 Best VIN Checkers For Used Vehicle Buyers

VIN, also known as Vehicle identification number, plays a vital role when buying a used car, and it’s recommended to go through VIN reports before making a final decision. Let’s understand more about VIN and different free/paid report providers.

What is VIN?

A Vehicle Identification Number, also known as chassis number, is a unique code of 17 digits. The Automobile industry uses it to identify details about the vehicle. Whether small or heavy, the automaker assigns a unique identification during manufacturing.

VIN is made up of numbers and letters. It contains vital information about the model, engine type, car brand, etc. This detail helps used car buyers to get more details and past associated history.

Between 1979-81, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  & The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved this 17-digit VIN as a standardized practical structure for vehicle identification to prevent defrauders from affirming false vehicle identities.

List Of Top VIN Checkers

• CarVertical
• CARFAX
• VinAudit
• VinCheckUp
• EpicVin
• ClearVin
• VinPit
• CarProof

Brands	Ratings	Price	CTAs
CarVertical	4/5	1 report @24.99/report
CARFAX	4.4/5	1 report @39.99/report
VinAudit	4.4/5	1 report @9.99/report	Check here
VinCheckUp	3.8/5	3 report @9.72/report	Check here
EpicVin	3.6/5	1 report @14.99/report
ClearVin	3.3/5	1 report @14.99 (API option)
VinPit	3/5	Free (Redirect to another website)
CarProof	3.5/5	1 report @60.95/report

We are done with the basics. Let’s go through different free and paid VIN checkers in detail:

1. CarVertical

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: CarVertical.com
• Payment: Credit Card, PayPal & Crypto. (You can also apply a coupon code)
• Sample VIN Report: Here
• Mobile App: Android | iOS

CarVertical was founded by a team of Robertas Boravskis, Audrius Kucinskas, and Rokas Medonis in 2017. The prime focus was to protect used car buyers from any kind of fraud.

It is a paid VIN checker, offers 3 reports plans & provides up-to-date information about the vehicle for individual customers and enterprises.

Currently, CarVertical is offering VIN checking services to 25+ markets like U.S., UK & France. The company plans to scale operations in countries such as South Africa. If I talk about data quality, CV collects vehicle information from over 900 international data sources related to insurance, car registries & presents all information together in an easy format.

I have personally gone through the CarVertical report. More details are below:

• The full report is divided into 10 sections – summary, spotted activity, stolen vehicle check, mileage, maintenance, damage, price, specs, photos, and checklist.
• Each section says about a possible issue or NIL if everything is fine.
• The full report also includes advice and notes so the owner can read more about the vehicle.
• You see interesting graphs/charts. I’ve uploaded a sample mileage chart where you can see that CarVertical showed an issue with an odometer rollback.
• Similarly, you can check a comprehensive checklist.
• CarVertical also gives access to download the VIN report as a PDF.

The brand has been featured in Forbes, TopGear, Reuters, and AutoBild for its amazing work. So far, the CarVertical platform has checked over 22,300,000 vehicles and earned €17,500,500 in revenue in 2021.

Pros

• Trusted brand
• Quality data
• Offers multiple reports and pricing for individual/enterprise
• Offers multiple makes and model
• Tool works for multiple countries and states
• Easy-to-understand reports

Cons

• A little expensive

As I discussed report plans, you can pick from 3 paid plans:

• 1 report: $24.99/report
• 2 reports: $15.99/report
• 3 reports: $13.99/report

Usually, 3 report is the most value of money plan.

CarVertical also offers business solution plans at a lower price. Currently, 1244+ brands, such as OLX, VEHO, etc., are associated and availing price benefits.

Below are the business plan details:

• 20 reports: $7.99/report
• 40 reports: $6.99/report
• 100 reports: $5.99/report

Usually, business offers provide value to dealerships, online car marketplaces, insurance/leasing companies, API integration, etc. You can also ask for the custom report and check current discounts.

2. CARFAX

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: Carfax.com
• Payment: Credit Card, PayPal & Amazon Pay
• Sample VIN Report: Here
• Mobile App: Android | iOS

CARFAX is a USA-based S&P Global world’s best and leading vehicle history provider. Ewin Barnett III founded it in 1984 in Columbia (USA). Thanks to the most comprehensive VIN reports, millions of users trust the brand.

Compared to other brands, CARFAX has a massive database of 28 billion records collected from over 130,000 data sources like auctions, police departments, repair facilities, rental agencies and many more.

Like others, you only get the report for all used trucks and cars after 1981. Below are a few sample pointers provided in the detailed report of CARFAX.

• Accident and damage indicators: It show past damages, such as Airbag deployments and other issues
• Point of impact and severity scale of damage: It shows other big damages such as chassis, etc.
• Title information, including salvaged or junked titles
• Flood damage
• Total loss accident
• Odometer readings & related faults
• Lemon history
• Number of past owners and associated history
• Emissions results and records
• Past service records
• Vehicle use (taxi, rental, lease, etc.)

CARFAX also offers a buyback guarantee program. In case of an issue, the company might trade the vehicle back for the full cost.

Pros

• Most used VIN checker available
• Wide range of data sources
• Provides multiple features under one domain
• Mobile app available
• Buyback guarantee
• Most safe and legit

Cons

• Expensive

You can pick from 3 paid plans:

• 1 report: 39.99€ /report
• 3 reports: 59.99€ /report
• 6 reports: 99.99€ /report

Other tools offered by CARFAX:

• CARFAX for dealers
• CARFAX for Service Shops
• CARFAX Banking & Insurance
• Recalls

3. VinAudit

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: VinAudit.com
• Payment: Credit Cards
• Sample Report: Here
• Country Offered: USA & Canada (separate websites)

David Wu founded VinAudit in 2011. The American automobile software brand started with a mission to provide a free vehicle history report but converted services into paid ones.

Since its launch, VinAudit has improved its data and provided VIN reports to individuals, car dealers, and partners. It reports regular automobiles, classic cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, motor homes, and tractors.

You get simple format (in-depth) information compared to CarVertical – where you get a good design and UI. Below is the list of sample information provided by VinAudit:

• VIN decode information
• Title history
• Junk/salvage/insurance records
• Accident records
• Theft records
• Lien Impound / Export records
• Sale records

VinAudit is trusted to provide one of the most easy-to-comprehend USA vehicle history reports. The company is backed up by non-profit organizations, government agencies, and some well-known industry sources to provide reports supported by the NMVTIS.

Pros

• Old and trusted website in the VIN industry
• Offers multiple free tools related
• Slightly cheaper CarVertical

Cons

• Reports are not so engaged – basic layout with text within the box

In addition to paid reports, you can access free resources like Market Value & Ownership cost calculator. Below are the plans offered by VinAudit:

• 1 vehicle history report: $9.99 /report
• 5 vehicle history report: $19.99 /report
• 10 vehicle history report: #29.99 /report

In other services, VinAudit offers a dealer program, bulk access, car buyer & seller checklist. You can view a sample history report to understand the report better.

4. VinCheckUp

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: VinCheckup.com
• Payment: Credit Cards
• App: iOS | Android

Next paid VIN checker focuses on iOS & Android app users. With the help of innovative and powerful tools, VinCheckUp provides its customers with comprehensive information about their chosen vehicle at a very affordable rate.

Like other online tools, VinCheckUp services are used by car buyers, USA/Japanese auction houses, and individuals to check vehicle information sold post-1981. Currently, VinCheckUp provides given details in the VIN report:

Accident History	Taxi, Lease & Police Use
Branded Title History	Mileage Rollback
Car Theft History	Total Loss Insurance Write-Off
Number of Previous Owners	DMV Title Information
Lien and Finance Records	Salvage & Reconstruction Records
Sale Records	Towing & Reposition Events
Lemon Check	Safety Recalls
Flood Vehicle Records	Vehicle Specification

To get your vehicle history report, enter your VIN and click on the ‘Run Report’ button. The system will take approximately 30 seconds (a bit slow compared to other websites) and redirect you to a page with vehicle data. Now you need to select a plan for report and get access to the report.

Pros

• Average pricing
• Excellent customer support
• Provides more information about vehicles via articles and reviews section

Cons

• No sample reports

VinCheckUp offers 3 report plans:

• 1 vehicle report: $14.95 /report
• 3 vehicle report: $9.72 /report
• 10 vehicle report: $4.99 /report

Other products offered by VinCheckUp:

• Auto insurance
• Car selling
• Car reviews
• License plate search

5. EpicVin

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: Epicvin.com
• Payment: Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal
• App: Android
• Chrome Extension: Here
• Sample Report: HERE

Andrei Krainik founded EpicVin in 2012 to reduce uncertainty/fraud in the used car market and provide a better user experience.

The online VIN tool comes approved by NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System) & helps in better data. In case you don’t know, NMVTIS is a national vehicle database designed to protect consumers from fraud. Below is the list of features provided in EpicVin’s report:

• Odometer readings
• Title information
• Junk and salvage titles
• Flood damage history
• Accident history
• Lemon history
• Service records
• Vehicle use records (if used as a taxi, rental, or police vehicle), etc.

Pros

• Available in 6 languages
• Provides chrome extension for regular users
• Complete auto dealer marketing solution
• Average cost
• Exclusive offers for dealers
• Includes relevant information

Cons

• So much information
• Chatbot is not as helpful as expected

Reports plans offered by EpicVIN:

• 1 vehicle report: $14.99 /report
• 4 vehicle report: $7.04 /report
• 16 vehicle report: $5.4 /report
• Unlimited reports: $39.99 /month

I think the unlimited report plan is what makes EpicVIN different from competitors. The customers are happy to avoid the junk they were about to buy and bargains they could ask for after knowing about accurate details of the car.

Other free services offered by EpicVin:

• Vin data by states
• Flood check
• Free odometer check
• Licence plate lookup

6. ClearVin

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: ClearVin.com
• Payment: Credit Card, PayPal, Google Pay
• Sample VIN: Here

Founded in 2014, ClearnVin specializes in providing the most accurate vehicle history information. The company was founded by Yuri Strachuk and operates from Dover, Delaware.

ClearVin extracts and provides information from the most trusted data sources in the automotive industry, such as National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS), National Vehicle Service (NVS), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), J.D. Power, Black Book, and others.

The U.S. Department of Justice has approved ClearVin as a provider for the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System program, through which they make available the finest and most trustworthy info in their reports.

In addition, the company also collects data from NVS (National Vehicle Service), NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association), and several other exclusive sources.

Like the CarVertical report, ClearVin shows complete history data, vehicle specifications, total loss events, accident history, and other significant details mentioned in the report. All the past and recent claims, along with the vehicle’s auto auction sale history (if any), are in the reports with photos.

In addition to VIN check, ClearVin provides different solutions such as bulk access, dealer program (more check & low price), API subscribers, etc. You can also check free licence plate lookup & recalls checks.

Unlike VinCheckUp, you can access ClearVin in multiple languages.

Pros:

• Old and trusted website in the VIN space
• Can be accessible from VIN & Licence plate
• Promised best value in money

Cons:

• Limited information for custom solutions
• It doesn’t offer a mobile app

Thanks to their accurate data, ClearVin is a little bit expensive VIN checker. Below are more details:

• 1 report: $14.99 /report
• 3 reports: $23.99 /report
• 5 reports: $29.99 /report

Please note: ClearVin provides a 100% moneyback guarantee

7. VinPit

• Report Type: Free
• Website: Vinpit.com
• Sample VIN: NA

VinPit is the most used and reliable free VIN checker website. It was founded by Alex Wan and Miranda Yan as a free resource to help new car buyers. The brand has a historical collection of over 268 million U.S. vehicles and provides free-of-cost VIN details.

Purchasing a big ticket item comes with risk, especially with used vehicles. Here, you need to get your vehicle a thorough examination.

While most tools charge for this activity, VinPit offers free VIN check and provides given information through VIN lookup:

• Check unreported damages
• Check ownership of the car
• Check mileage accuracy
• View documented photos
• Know more about the safety and maintenance recalls of the car

Although, compared to other tools, VinPit provides basic details and redirects to another partner website for more details (I didn’t like that). To conduct a VIN lookup, you must enter your VIN. After that, the authority database is scanned for up-to-date vehicle info giving you immediate vehicle history reports.

In addition, VinPit provides VIN checking facility based on different criteria:

• Make: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ferrari, and many more.
• States: Alaska, Colorado, Florida, etc.
• Auto Types: Motorcycle, R.V. & Motorhome, DMV, ATV, etc.

8. CarProof (Now CARFAX Canada)

• Report Type: Paid
• Website: CarProof.ca
• Payment: Credit Card, PayPal & Amazon Pay
• Sample Report: Here

Formally known as CarProof, Carfax Canada offers VIN report services in Canada. Like Carfax, it provides vehicle history and survey reports to individuals and companies. HIS Inc. purchased the brand in 2015, and in 2018 it became CARFAX Canada.

It offers two reports, CarProof Verified and CarProof Claims, about the vehicle available in French and English.

• Carfax Essential: It offers vehicle history + lien check for $60.95 for a single report
• Best Deal: It offers 3 vehicle history reports + 1 Lien check for $98.95.

Carfax Canada is the most used and trusted vehicle history provider. Below is the major area covered in the report:

Major accidents	Money owed on the vehicle (lien)*	Odometer readings
Frame and structural damage	Vehicle theft	Odometer rollback
Hail damage	Service records	Registration**
Flood damage	Open safety recalls	U.S./Canada import records
Airbag deployment	Repair estimates and costs	Detailed U.S. History

In addition, you also get other tools like Recall checks, Car Value, etc.

Conclusion

I believe that a thorough report from a reliable source is a must if you are planning to buy a car, especially when a used one.

A car is not something an individual often buys, so you need to make sure you don’t spend your hard-earned money on a piece of junk.

While writing this blog, I’ve gone through each VIN website and dug down their report to check the necessity of vehicle history. Trust me, if you are a new buyer and going for used vehicles, you should check the details provided by VIN checkers.

In addition, what’s the difference between paid and free VIN? I researched and found that paid gives in-depth data and provides value, whereas free is working like an affiliate – they give you half report and redirect you to another website where you need to pay for the full report.

I can say that spending this small amount will be worth the investment.

What Should You Look In A Vehicle History Report?

A comprehensive vehicle history report must include basic to advance details like car mechanicals, manufacturing, accident records, service records, owner history, safety ratings, title records, market value, etc.

Let’s explore some of them in brief:

• Mechanical or Specifications: This report should show the vehicle’s technical, service records, build, oil quality and history, etc.
• Accident records: This is the most important data you should consider before buying a used car such as VW. Each VIN report should show this with additional pics
• Safety features or ratings: Check the list of standard safety
• Market Value: It shows the current value and rate of depreciation according to the vehicle’s brand and model
• Title Records: It is the registered state and number associated with the vehicle. This will help you in the final cost and transfer process.

FAQs