How much does a VIN check cost?

The basic history report is $5 and the full vehicle history report is $10. No membership or account is needed to buy one.

Can I run a VIN check with a license plate?

Yes. Type the plate and the state it is registered in. Wheel Scout finds the car's VIN and shows you the year, make and model before you pay, so you know it is the right car.

Where do I find a car's VIN?

Look through the windshield at the bottom of the dashboard on the driver's side, or on the sticker inside the driver's door frame. It is also printed on the title, the registration card and the insurance card.

What if my VIN is wrong?

Wheel Scout shows you the car's year, make and model before you pay. If no car matches the VIN, you are never asked to pay for it.

VIN Check & VIN Number Lookup: Title, Salvage, Odometer

Q: What does a VIN check show?

The basic history report is the official NMVTIS title record: salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt title brands, the car's title history by state, odometer readings at each title event with rollback flags, total-loss records and a theft check. The full vehicle history report adds owners and how the car was used, accident and damage reports, and service history.

Q: How fast do I get the report?

The $5 basic history report shows on screen right after you pay. The $10 full vehicle history report is not instant: it is emailed or texted to you within two hours, and it is saved in the Wheel Scout app.

What a VIN check shows

Every car sold in the US has a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number. States, insurance companies, junk and salvage yards report what happens to that VIN to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), the federal title database run under the U.S. Department of Justice. A VIN check reads that record, so you see what the seller's ad leaves out.

Basic history report

By VIN or license plate · official NMVTIS 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

Check a car for $5

$10

Full vehicle history report

By VIN or license plate · 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

The red flags it catches

These are the problems that cost buyers thousands, and the ones a seller is least likely to mention.

Salvage and rebuilt titlesAn insurer declared the car a total loss. Rebuilt cars can be fine, but they are worth far less and can be hard to insure or resell.

Flood damageWater damage shows up years later as electrical and rust problems. Flood cars are often moved to another state and sold with a clean-looking title.

Odometer rollbackWhen the mileage on record goes down between title events, someone turned it back. The report flags it so you pay for the real miles.

TheftA stolen car can be taken from you with no refund. The report checks theft records before you hand over cash.

Total lossInsurer total-loss records show a car was written off even when the title was later washed clean in another state.

Title jumpingA title history that hops between states quickly is a common way to hide a brand. You see every state and date.

See a sample

Sample Wheel Scout VIN check: red flags found, salvage title and an odometer rollback

This sample is what a bad result looks like: a salvage title, an insurance total loss, and an odometer that went from 121,000 miles down to 64,000. A seller can still call a car like this "clean title, low miles" in the ad.

A clean car shows "No major red flags" at the top, with every title event and odometer reading listed underneath so you can see it for yourself.

How it works

1. Type itThe VIN, or the license plate and its state.

2. Confirm the carWe show the year, make and model first.

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

Where to find the VIN

Dashboard: look through the windshield at the bottom corner on the driver's side.
Driver door: open the door and check the sticker on the door frame.
Paperwork: the title, the registration card and the insurance card all print it.
From a listing: ask the seller for it before you drive out. A seller who won't share the VIN is a red flag on its own.

A VIN is always 17 characters and never uses the letters I, O or Q, so they can't be confused with 1 and 0. The 10th character is the model year. Don't have the VIN? Look the car up by its license plate instead.

VIN check questions

What does a VIN check show?

The $5 basic history report is the official NMVTIS title record: salvage, junk, flood and rebuilt brands, title history by state, odometer readings with rollback flags, total-loss records and a theft check. The $10 full report adds owners and how the car was used, accident and damage reports, and service history.

Do I need an account or a membership?

No. Pay once for the report you want. We save it to an account under the email you pay with, so you can open it again any time in the Wheel Scout app.

Can I check a car by license plate?

Yes. Type the plate and pick the state it's registered in. We find the car's VIN and show you the year, make and model before you pay. More on plate lookups.

How fast do I get the report?

The $5 report shows on screen right after you pay. The $10 full report is not instant: we email or text it to you within two hours, and it's saved in the app.

What if the VIN is wrong or the car isn't found?

You see the car before you pay. If no car matches what you typed, you're never asked to pay for it.

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.

More ways to check a car

Cheap VIN check VIN decoder Recall check Vehicle history report Title check NMVTIS report Stolen car check License plate lookup

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.

The basic history report uses NMVTIS data from an approved NMVTIS data provider. NMVTIS records come from states, insurers and salvage yards; not every event is reported to it. Wheel Scout is not affiliated with any marketplace or government agency.