What can I find with a license plate lookup?

The car behind the plate: its year, make, model and 17-character VIN. From there you can get the car's history: salvage, flood and rebuilt titles, odometer readings, total-loss and theft records, and with the full report, owners, accidents and service history.

Can I find out who owns a car from its license plate?

No. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' names, addresses and phone numbers in DMV records private, and Wheel Scout never shows them. You get the car's history, not the owner's personal information.

How much does a license plate lookup cost?

Seeing which car the plate belongs to costs nothing. The basic history report is $5 and the full vehicle history report is $10. No account or membership is needed.

Why does the plate lookup need the state?

Plates are issued by each state, so the same plate number can exist in several states on different cars. The state tells us which one you mean.

License Plate Lookup: Find a Car's VIN and History

What a license plate lookup tells you

A license plate is a state's label for a car. Behind it is the car's 17-character VIN, and the VIN is what every title, insurance and salvage record is filed under. Wheel Scout turns the plate into the VIN, shows you the car so you can confirm it matches, and then runs its history.

Basic history report

Official NMVTIS title record · shows right away

Salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt title brands
Title history by state, with dates
Odometer readings and rollback flags
Total-loss records from insurers
Theft check
Market value for the car

Look up a plate

$10

Full vehicle history report

Not instant: emailed or texted to you within two hours

Every owner, how they used it (personal, lease, rental or fleet) and where
Accidents and damage reports
Title brands: salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, lemon
Odometer readings over time, checked for rollbacks
Service and maintenance history
Open recalls and common owner complaints for the model

Get the full report

What it does not show: the owner

Owners' names, home addresses and phone numbers in DMV records are private under the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act. Wheel Scout never shows them, and you should be wary of any site that promises an owner's name for a few dollars. A plate lookup is for checking a car you might buy, not for finding a person.

When buyers use it

The ad has no VINMost Marketplace and Craigslist ads skip the VIN, but the plate is often right there in the photos.

Before you drive outCheck the car from home and skip the trip if it has a salvage title or rolled-back miles.

At the meet-upSnap the plate, run it on your phone, and make sure the car in front of you matches the car in the ad.

How it works

1. Plate and stateType the plate exactly as shown and pick its state.

2. Confirm the carWe show the year, make, model and VIN before you pay.

3. Read the historyPay on Stripe. The $5 report shows right away.

Already have the VIN? Run a VIN check directly. It skips the plate step.

License plate lookup questions

Can I find out who owns a car from its plate?

No. The Driver's Privacy Protection Act keeps owners' personal information private, and we never show it. You get the car's history, not the owner's details.

Which states are covered?

All 50 states and Washington, D.C. Pick the state the plate is registered in, because the same plate number can belong to different cars in different states.

How much does it cost?

Seeing which car the plate belongs to costs nothing. The basic history report is $5 and the full report is $10, with no account or membership needed.

What if the plate isn't found?

Some plates are brand new, temporary or personalized and aren't in the records yet. If no car matches, you're never asked to pay. Ask the seller for the VIN and use the VIN check instead.

Why did it take a minute?

A plate nobody has looked up before goes out to the records in real time. Plates looked up before come back in a second or two.

Is a clean report a guarantee?

No report can promise a car is perfect. It shows what was reported to the title database and our data sources. Always have a mechanic inspect a used car before you buy it.

Look up a plate by state

More ways to check a car

VIN check VIN decoder Recall check Vehicle history report Title check Stolen car check

Find the deal, then check it.

Wheel Scout alerts you the moment an underpriced car posts on Marketplace, OfferUp or Craigslist near you, and runs the history right in the app.

Plate-to-VIN results come from licensed vehicle data providers. The basic history report uses NMVTIS data from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Wheel Scout never shows owners' personal information and is not affiliated with any marketplace, DMV or government agency.