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When buying a new, used car, one of the most important things to check is VIN. Virtually everything in a car can be tampered with – and it may be difficult for you to detect some of such changes – but the VIN of a vehicle can never be tampered with.
VIN, which is the acronym for Vehicle Identification Number, is a series of unchangeable letters and numbers that provide you with different important information about a car when looked up using a VIN check tool.
There are pretty many tools for checking VIN, but these are the top 10 best free VIN check tools.
What is VIN?
VIN means Vehicle Identification Number. It is imprinted on every modern vehicle; however, the location of the imprint may vary on different vehicles. The VIN itself is a 17-digit alphanumeric code, and no two vehicles have the same exact VIN – it is a unique identity. A simple VIN lookup can tell if a car is stolen.
When you look up the VIN of a car, it shows you the manufacturing date of the car, production location, chassis, engine details, recalls, and other important information.
With the information and data provided by the VIN, you can know if the car you’re about to buy has been involved in an accident, has a collision history, or has any damage.
What is VIN Check?
A VIN check simply means to look up a car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) to obtain relevant information about the car.
Running a VIN check is always advisable when you’re buying a used vehicle – whether from a dealership or an individual seller. VIN checks are done using VIN check tools, and there are many of such tools.
A VIN check tool is basically a website or web tool/plugin that allows you to look up cars’ VINs. Most VIN check tools are completely available for free; if you’re at a dealership trying to buy a used car, they may run a VIN check for you at no additional cost.
However, if you’re having doubts about what the dealership told you after running a VIN check on the car you want to buy, you can use any of these 10 best free VIN check tools to look up the VIN yourself.
Aside from being completely free to use, these VIN check tools (websites) are accessible from all parts of the world. So, your location isn’t a barrier.
Best Free VIN Check Tools
1. Detailed Vehicle History (Check)
If you plan to buy a pre-owned vehicle, you need a vehicle history report. Detailed Vehicle History offers you in-depth historical data of the car you’re buying, including the recalls, number of former owners, title checks, mileage history, vehicle’s accident history, sales record, market value, repair history, loan and lien records, upcoming services & maintenance, etc.
This helpful information will allow you to buy a reliable vehicle. So don’t take risks and uncover any vehicle’s past with absolute confidence.
Detailed Vehicle History is powered by Autoinspect.us LLC, an Approved NMVTIS Data Provider. NMVTIS is a national database that contains pertinent information, protecting car buyers from purchasing fraudulent, stolen, or unsafe vehicles.
Not only does the Detailed Vehicle History website load quickly on both desktop and mobile devices, but its interface is also excellent. In addition to the free-to-use Detailed Vehicle History check tool, the website provides various other useful free tools.
2. Car Fax [Check]
CARFAX is one of the most popular websites where you can look up VIN codes to get detailed information about any vehicle.
It is a free VIN checker tool available to everyone, including dealerships and individuals. The Car Fax VIN check tool works through mobile browsers; it loads very fast on any web browser, whether on mobile or desktop.
Basically, CarFax is a website that lists and provides you with comprehensive information about used cars. Car Fax alleges that it gets its vehicles’ data from 100,000+ sources, which include auction houses, DMVs, police departments, and insurance companies. The Car Fax VIN check tool is safe and reliable to use.
3. EpicVIN [Check]
EpicVIN is one of the most reliable websites that give you an accurate history of the vehicle you want to purchase. The EpicVIN website lets you look up a vehicle using the VIN or the license plate number. The information shown with the EpicVIN scan is pulled from various reliable sources, so it is very accurate.
Furthermore, EpicVIN is powered by Autoinspect.us LLC, an Approved NMVTIS Data Provider. NMVTIS is a national database that contains relevant information that protects car buyers from buying fraud and stolen and unsafe vehicles.
The website loads pretty fast on desktop and mobile devices; the interface is superb. EpicVIN check tool is free to use, and the website offers other free tools, too.
4. Vehicle History [Check]
The name already gives you a hint of what information you can get from this website. It is a free VIN check tool to search for the history of any vehicle you want to buy. Vehicle History VIN checker is quite accurate with the data it provides; it pulls all public records of the vehicle being checked.
Basically, the Vehicle History website is a blog that publishes relevant information about used cars – and offers a web tool for looking up VINs. But then, the Vehicle History website is not accessible globally; you may need a VPN to access the website when you’re living outside America and Europe.
5. VIN Pit [Check]
Going on with our list, VinPit is another notable VIN check tool that provides handy information about any car you look up on the website. It offers VIN checks, VIN decoding, license plate checks, and vehicle history reports.
The information you’d get with this tool includes the vehicle’s assembly plant, VIN authenticity, repairs, unreported damages, ownership, and criminal records.
The website is accessible from anywhere you’re located, and the VIN check tool is completely free to use. You can also launch a search using the vehicle’s license plate number.
6. VINCheckFree [Check]
VINCheckFree is one of the best tools to use in looking up any vehicle – both those made in the U.S. and outside the States.
This VIN check website looks into various reliable databases to provide the information it shows about any vehicle you look up; its sources include police records, insurance companies, and service centers.
A VINCheckFree report shows records of loss or theft, repossession info, damages, accidents, and other important information. One of the reasons to choose this VIN check tool is the intuitive interface that loads fast and smoothly on any device you’ve got. Also, the tool is available in all regions – no VPN access is needed.
7. MechanicBase VIN Decoder [Check]
MechanicBase is a popular auto blog, and it offers a VIN Decoder tool that allows you to dig out useful information about any car you plan to buy. The MechanicBase VIN Decoder tool is accessible everywhere, and all of its features are completely free.
However, this VIN check tool is still new and doesn’t really give you a comprehensive overview of everything you may want to get out of a VIN lookup tool – it’s still a decent tool anyways, and the few data it shows are accurate.
8. AutoCheck [Check]
AutoCheck is a highly reputable VIN check website; it allegedly has comprehensive data of over 500 million vehicles from a National Vehicle Database. The AutoCheck website offers many tools and useful resources for looking up used cars; you can run comparisons for different vehicles.
Focusing on the VIN check tool, the AutoCheck VIN lookup tool pulls out information from various sources to show you the actual mileage, vehicle type, engine capacity, lease and accident history, and other relevant information about a particular vehicle.
But then, the AutoCheck tool doesn’t show maintenance and service information.
9. CarVertical [Check]
CarVertical is one of those VIN check tools that provides you with complete information regarding a used car. Its information is pulled from “one of the largest database networks for vehicle records.” It doesn’t matter where you’re buying the car; this lookup tool is available to you for free.
Some useful information shown in CarVertical VIN check results includes mileage rollbacks, road accidents, repair history, recorded images, safety recalls, ownership changes, theft records, and many others. The CarVertical tool is easy to use; simply enter the car’s VIN and hit the lookup button.
10. ClearVIN [Check]
The ClearVIN tool is free if you’re an individual user who only comes to check VIN records occasionally. If checking VINs is what you do frequently – maybe as a mechanic or dealership – you’d need to upgrade to the paid version. ClearVIN check tool is pretty easy to use – the website design is simple and intuitive.
ClearVIN partners with the National Motor Vehicle Titling Information System (NMVTIS) and the U.S. Department of Justice, making them a much better option to trust.
Also, the information shown in ClearVIN reports is accurate; you can bank on them. Furthermore, ClearVIN says it gets vehicle history reports from various sources, including local departments, towing agencies, federal agencies, and financial institutions.
11. AutoDNA [Check]
AutoDNA is one of those ideal websites that gives you very accurate data on any vehicle. It is a free VIN check tool accessible from virtually all regions and countries.
The Bumper VIN check tool is intuitive, and you can toggle to check out other features of the website. AutoDNA can look up any vehicle model and show you the information you need to know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the VIN Written?
The location of VIN differs in different vehicles; you’d find it on the driver’s side on most vehicles or under the hood. Notwithstanding, you can also find the VIN dashboard (near the windshield), door frame, or steering wheel region; there are different places where the VIN may be imprinted on a vehicle.
Is There a Free Website to Check VIN?
Yes, many websites allow you to look up vehicles’ information using their free VIN check tools. Also, some of these websites allow you to check vehicle records using license plate numbers.
Is Free VIN Check Accurate?
Well, not all the time, but most free VIN check tools pull out their records from reliable sources, so you can trust the data they provide. Websites like CarFax, Vin Pit, AutoCheck, and many others provide reliable free VIN checks.
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