The two data hubs
VIN essentials
The mechanics of the number itself — reading it, finding it, and what it can never tell you.
- Jeep build sheet by VINMopar sales codes, and which document actually records the options
- Car specs by VINWhich specs a free decode returns, and where the rest live
- How to read a VINAll 17 positions, the year chart and the check digit
- Vehicle identification numberTwo federal rules, two purposes — recalls and theft
- Where is the VIN number?Every location on cars, bikes, trailers and paperwork
- VIN verificationThe physical inspection, and the federal standard it measures against
- VIN inspectionWho each state lets sign one, what it costs, and what a failure starts
- Safety features by VINWhat the law required fitted, and the build date that decides it
- Free vehicle history reportWhat's genuinely free, what costs a few dollars, what doesn't exist
- Vehicle history reportWhat is required to be in one, and what is not
- Vehicle maintenance reportWhy service history by VIN is thin, and where you may have work done
- License plate lookupWhat federal privacy law actually allows
- Insurance lookup by VINThe database exists, and it is shut to you
- Bill of sale for a carWhat it proves, and the odometer disclosure that belongs on the title instead
- Temporary tagHow long you can drive a car you just bought, and the second deadline behind it
- Vehicle registration lookupStatus checks and the real state tools
- Motor vehicle recordsWho may obtain yours, and how to read it first
- Smog check historyThe emissions test log most sellers forget exists
- Custom & state-assigned VINsKit cars, replicas, and numbers the state writes
- VIN warranty checkThe in-service date, and what transfers to you
- Vehicle service contractWhy the extended warranty is a different instrument, and what to read first
- Window sticker by VINThe original Monroney label, recovered
- Paint code by VINWhere the color code actually lives on every make
- Towing capacity by VINThe real number, and the payload trap
- Where to sell your carFour routes, and what each one trades away
- Car value by VINThe number encodes the build, not the worth
- NADA value by VINThe book your lender is actually reading
- Car depreciation calculatorThe federal price index says depreciation is not a schedule
- Diminished value calculatorThe 17c formula is a claims worksheet, not a valuation
- Motorcycle value by VINWhere low mileage becomes a warning
- Kelley Blue Book value by VINWho owns the book most sellers quote
- Value my car by VINAn estimate is not an offer
- Camper value by VINWhy the VIN is the wrong key entirely
- Transmission by VINWhy the answer arrives for some cars and not others
- Tire size by VINThe placard federal law puts on the car instead
- Bolt pattern by VINFive things must match — the pattern is only one
- Tire recall checkWhy the notice follows the first buyer, and how to check the sidewall
- Axle ratio by VINCounting the ratio the hardware actually has
- Drivetrain by VINThe attribute no vehicle class is required to encode
- Seating capacity by VINWhat the law counts as a seat, and when that changed
- Parts by VINWhy a catalog wants all seventeen characters
- Trim level by VINLine and series are required; trim is not
- Engine size by VINOne of the few attributes the rule insists on
- Oil type by VINThe number gets you the engine, not the oil
- Coolant type by VINColor is not chemistry, and mixing forms gel
- Brake fluid by VINTwo boiling points, and why time not mileage
- Transmission fluid by VINNo standard to check — the maker sets it alone
- Timing belt or chain by VINBelt or chain is only half the question
- Battery size by VINFit is easy — type and registration are not
- Fuel type by VINSupplied by the maker, not demanded by the rule
- Gas mileage calculatorThe combined figure is a harmonic average, and that changes everything
- Body style by VINRequired for cars, swapped for cab type on trucks
- Where was my car made?SAE assigns the identifier; position 11 is the plant
- Odometer readingReading, recording and verifying mileage
- How many miles is too many?The federal records count dates, not miles
- Buying a repossessed carWhat the sale clears, and the lien that survives it
- Used electric car checkWhat the federal crash standard requires of the battery
- Buying a deleted dieselWho the emissions tampering rule actually reaches
- Can I return a used car?The three-day rule turns on where you signed
- Buying a car onlineThe delivery clock, and why financing makes it fifty days
- Car seat LATCH checkTwo complete anchorage systems, not three
- Buying a used box truckThe 10,001 lb line, and the inspection that must be on board
- Paying cash for a carWhy the dealer asks for your Social Security number
- How to buy a used carThe free checks first, the irreversible steps last
- NHTSA investigation checkThe reporting that happens before a recall exists
- Event data recorderWhat the black box records, and for how long
- Hybrid battery replacement costSettle the warranty question before anybody quotes you a pack
- Report a stolen carThe first hour, and what happens next
- NICB VINCheck explainedThe free theft and salvage lookup, and its limits
- Classic car VIN decoderPre-1981 numbers, factory tags, clones and restamps
- Classic truck VIN decoderWhy it comes back empty, and the model year the record starts
- NHTSA VIN decoderThe fifteen result codes, and where the federal data stops
- Best VIN checkThe federal approved-provider list, and which layer answers your question
- ClearVIN reviewApproved provider status, and what the credential actually establishes
- DMV VIN checkWhy most states publish no lookup, and where the free check lives
- Imported car VIN checkThe 25-year rule clears one agency of three
Titles and brands
The permanent marks on a title, and what each one costs at resale.
- Car title checkRead the document itself — the features federal law requires on it
- Car title vs registrationOne document carries the brands; the other carries none of them
- Register a car without a titleThe bonded route, and the VIN checks a state runs first
- Bonded titleWhich states issue one, the multiple, and the ten that issue none
- Abandoned vehicle titleThe procedure usually ends in a sale or a bill of sale, not a title
- Transfer a car title after deathThe threshold everyone leads with usually does not govern the car
- Duplicate titleIt replaces the original, and the mark is hereditary
- Release of liabilityIt records the sale; it does not move the title off your name
- Title officeA court clerk in one state, a tax collector in the next, no counter in a third
- Title status checkEvery state tool takes a bare VIN, then answers a question no buyer is asking
- Register a car in another stateDeadlines from 20 to 90 days, and what the new state checks
- Register an out-of-state car in CaliforniaThe 7,500-mile gate that runs before the 20-day clock
- What is a branded title?Every brand type, from hail to salt-water flood
- Theft recovery vehicleWhy the title is clean by design, not concealment
- Title washingWhy a brand vanishes crossing a state line
- Salvage certificateNot a title, and the difference decides everything
- Certificate of destructionThe one branded document with no way back
- What is a rebuilt title?Value, insurance, financing and how to inspect one
- Rebuilt title inspectionIt checks identity and parts, not repair quality
- VIN lookupThree questions wear the phrase — and what each free tool answers
- NMVTIS reportThe federal title record, explained and priced
- Previous owners by VINThe count is inferred from title events, not recorded
- VIN check with photosWhy no official record holds one, and where the pictures really come from
- Buying a rebuilt title carWhen the discount works, and when it doesn't
- Lemon law buybackThe brand that means the factory gave up
- Odometer rollback checkThe record crosscheck that catches clocked cars
- Most stolen carsWho gets taken, why, and the buyer's theft checks
- Florida title checkFLHSMV's free lookup, used right
- Ohio title checkThe clerk of courts record, not the BMV's
- New York title checkTwo age rules decide what a title proves
- Massachusetts title checkThe exemption turns on when it was bought
- Georgia title checkThe tax rides on the title, not the sale
- Illinois title checkOnly a licensed rebuilder can undo salvage
- Alabama title checkBoth the loss and the rebuild must happen in-state
- Virginia title checkThe $10,000 trigger, and the driveline exclusion
- Kentucky title checkReactivation issues a whole new VIN
- North Carolina title checkFour brands, and air bags sit outside the test
- Michigan title checkSalvage at 75%, scrap at 91%, no way back
- New Jersey title checkThe rebuild inspection hunts stolen parts
- Pennsylvania title checkRecovered thefts get their own brand ladder
- Wisconsin title checkIt measures what the insurer paid, not an estimate
- California title checkNo percentage at all — uneconomical to repair
- Colorado title checkRoadworthy first, then Rebuilt from Salvage
- Texas title checkNonrepairable means never, but only since 2003
- Missouri title checkThe six-year window that lets damage pass
- South Carolina title checkThe only brand that names flood or fire
- Salvage title VIN checkThe three-step sequence that catches washed titles
- Totaled but still drivableKeep it or take the settlement, and what the brand costs
- Total loss threshold by stateWhy every published table contradicts the others
- Auction history by VINPre-repair photos, damage codes and the price paid
- VIN accident checkWhat the records show — and what they never will
- Frame damage checkNo record has to say it — measurement does
- Airbag deployed checkThe federal rule with only two exemptions
- Damage reportedA vendor's label with no legal definition behind it
- Flood-damaged carsWhy the title often looks clean, and where to look
- Vehicle lien checkThe claim that survives your purchase
- Used car red flagsThe warnings a walk-around can never raise
- Private seller vs dealerOne federal rule, and the number inside it
- Buying a used rental carThe strictest recall duty in the market
- Buying a car out of stateWhich records survive the state line
- Are SUVs safer than sedans?The one dimension with a published number
- VIN cloningThe fraud every record check passes
- VIN etchingWhat the factory already marked, and what etching adds
- Key code by VINWhy it is withheld, and the registry you can check
- After buying a used carWhat stops being possible when the seller leaves
- Financing fell throughSpot delivery, the call afterwards, and the notice inside your contract
- CurbstoningThe five-vehicle line that decides it
- As is, no warrantyIt waives warranties, not honesty — and not in every state
- Cosigning a car loanThe separate federal notice, and the sentence in it that matters
- Car loan calculatorThe longer loan currently advertises the lower rate, and costs more
- The dealer ran my creditThe notices a credit pull triggers, and the window they must arrive in
- Military car buying rightsThe two protections everyone names, and the two that actually reach a car
- Transfer a title to familyGift, sale or inheritance, and the disclosure that still applies
- Title jumpingWhy you cannot register the car you paid for
- Was the light cleared?The trace a seller cannot erase
- OBD2 codesThe lamp carries the severity, not the code
- Recall check by VINModel-level and VIN-level federal data answer different questions
- TSB vs recallOne is a repair you are owed
- Buying a car with an open recallWhat the statute restricts, and what it leaves out
Report services compared
The paid history services, and when each is worth the money.
- Every service we runThe whole catalog measured, with the coverage gaps named
- Billing transparencyWhat we charge, what the law requires, and how to test any VIN site
- AutoCheck vs CarfaxThe difference is who reports to each
- Carfax alternativesFree, cheap and paid options matched to the question
- What a report should costThree tiers, and which one your car justifies
- EpicVIN reviewAn approved NMVTIS provider, assessed
- VinAudit reviewThe cheap federal title check
- FaxVIN reviewWhat it covers — and the list it's not on
- AutoCheck reviewThe auction report, and what its score means
- carVertical reviewThe import specialist, assessed
- Visor (visor.vin) reviewA .vin domain that is not a history report — what it actually returns
- Bumper reviewReal federal data, wrapped in a subscription
- Carfax reviewThe federal record it can't sell consumers
- Pre-purchase inspectionWhat it covers, and the systems that fail first
- Free Carfax reportWhen it is free, who already paid for it
- GoodCar reviewAn approved provider that sells more than the title
- VinCheckPro reviewA free report, and what free can include
- VinCheckUp reviewHow to check a federal data claim yourself
Trust & legal
Where we stand on money, data and access — and how to act on a charge from another site.
- Refund policyWhy a free service has nothing to refund, and how to recover a charge elsewhere
- NMVTIS disclaimerWhy the free check is not a NMVTIS report, and where to get an official one
- Trust & securityThe two pieces of data we hold, and how they are protected
- Do not sell my infoYour CCPA rights, how to opt out, and the GPC signal we honor
- Accessibility statementThe WCAG 2.1 AA standard we build to, and how to flag a barrier
Brand VIN decoders
Make-specific decoding — WMI codes, option stickers, and the traps unique to each marque.
- FordWMI codes and the character-by-character read
- Ford F-150Cab, bed, engine and the aluminum change
- Ford recallsThe free-repair obligation in full
- Ford window stickerThe original build, by VIN
- Ram warranty by VINThe Cummins is covered by the truck, not Cummins
- Toyota warranty by VINThe frame program is history, not an offer
- Ford warranty by VINThe programs that expire, unlike recalls
- Chevrolet warranty by VINThe refund clause that stays with the seller
- Honda warranty by VINA branded title cancels the extension outright
- Nissan warranty by VINThe CVT extension a past owner could refuse
- Subaru warranty by VINCoverage that pays only above a measured rate
- Volkswagen warranty by VINDiesel coverage a federal settlement created
- ToyotaHybrids, frame rust and JDM frame numbers
- Toyota chassis numberNot a VIN, and one word doing three different jobs
- Toyota recallsThe acceleration campaigns, and what NASA found
- LexusOwn codes, Toyota parts, F versus F Sport
- HondaChassis codes, engine families, the Takata check
- Honda recallsThe Alpha inflator tier, and the seven models on it
- AcuraType S versus A-Spec, and the parts crossover
- ChevroletThe RPO sticker that settles every claim
- Chevrolet recallsHow the ignition switch recall grew three times
- GMCVerifying a Denali, and the Chevrolet twin
- Buick VIN decoderSeven identifiers across six countries, only two of them American
- General MotorsThe three characters that name the division
- CadillacV-Series versus V-Sport, Super Cruise
- GM build sheetPulling the factory order by VIN
- RamThe 2009 Dodge split and the Cummins serial
- Ram recallsThe Uconnect campaign, fixed by mailed USB stick
- DodgeAfter the truck split, what's left and what to check
- JeepYJ to JL generations and reused model names
- Jeep recallsThe fuel tank campaign fixed with a tow hitch
- ChryslerThe Pacifica hybrid and shared platforms
- Mitsubishi VIN decoderTwenty-two filed identifiers, five countries, and a make that holds two businesses
- Land Rover VIN decoderThree identifiers, renamed model lines, and a 22-year Defender gap
- Pontiac VIN decoderA marque the manufacturer register does not contain
- Lincoln VIN decoderThe MK nameplates sit inside a fixed fourteen-year window
- Mopar (classic)Pre-1981 Chrysler products, and the fender tag the VIN leaves out
- NissanThe CVT question, answered honestly
- Nissan recallsThe VC-Turbo campaign, and what never was one
- HyundaiCodes, engines and the theft-program check
- Hyundai recallsWhy campaigns parallel Kia's
- Hyundai engine warrantyLifetime for some engines, 15 years for others
- KiaThe warranty that shrinks for second owners
- Kia engine warrantyThe extension that follows the car, not the owner
- SubaruBoxer engines and the head gasket era
- MazdaMiata generations and the rotary question
- Mazda recallsThe spider in the vent line, recalled twice
- Tesla recallsFixed by a software release you never booked
- Volkswagen recallsThe federal lookup only sees the safety half
- Subaru recallsThe NADI inflator, and the list Subaru is not on
- Mercedes-BenzW-codes and the factory data card
- BMWSpotting a real M car from the VIN
- BMW recallsThe water pump fire, and the seven-month gap
- AudiThe PR sticker in the trunk, quattro variants
- VolkswagenPlants, PR codes and the TDI settlement
- Porsche911 generations and why options drive value
- VolvoThree build countries, one specification
- TeslaWhat the VIN can't tell you about software
- Chevy trucksC/K, squarebody and the glovebox sticker
- CamaroThe 1969 tag, and why the VIN proves nothing
- CorvetteC1 serials to C8, and the missing 1983
- MustangEleven characters and the Marti Report
- Classic VWBeetle chassis numbers and the M-code plate
A guide explains the check. This runs one.
Seventeen characters is the whole ask. Nothing else is required and nothing is charged.
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Decoded from official manufacturer and NHTSA records
Beyond cars
Bikes, boats, trailers, RVs, trucks and equipment — where the numbering itself changes.
- Motorcycle VIN lookupFrame versus engine numbers
- Harley-DavidsonThe engine case stamping that must match
- Dirt bikesThe no-title problem, and hours over miles
- ATV VIN lookupWhy a quad decodes thin, and the checks that work
- PolarisWhy off-road recalls come from the CPSC
- Can-AmThree wheels, and federally still a motorcycle
- YamahaThree numbering systems in one brand
- Suzuki VIN decoderSix identifiers, four countries, and the year character that rules out a car
- KawasakiA Jet Ski carries a hull number, not a VIN
- KTMShared platforms, and which continent built it
- TrailersState-assigned VINs and homemade rigs
- RVs and motorhomesThe chassis-versus-coach split
- Boats and HINsThe 12-character number that isn't a VIN
- Golf cartsWhy the number does not exist until 20 mph
- Semi trucksFour serials, one truck
- FreightlinerThe chassis that ends up under a motorhome
- KenworthWhich company actually built it
- Peterbilt1XP and 1NP are not the same truck
- International trucksThe identifier reserved for buses
- John Deere serialsEquipment numbers outside the VIN system
State by state
What genuinely differs where you buy — titles, inspections, taxes and regional risks.
- CaliforniaThe seller provides the smog certificate
- TexasFlood cars at national scale
- FloridaHurricanes, salt air and the flood checklist
- New YorkSandy's benchmark and the street-parked car
- PennsylvaniaThe expiring-sticker sale
- IllinoisThe auction corridor
- OhioWhat the trooper's inspection actually proves
- GeorgiaThe title-pawn lien state
- North CarolinaThe notarized title
- MichiganThe salt-state underbody inspection
- New JerseyEmissions-only since 2010, flooded twice
- VirginiaThe car tax that bills every year
- WashingtonUse tax on book value, not your price
- ArizonaHeat is the rust here
- TennesseeNothing official looks anymore
- ColoradoHail alley and magnesium chloride
- MissouriThe inspection cliff at ten years
- VermontWhere cosmetic rust stops and structural starts
- NevadaSmog in two counties, and nowhere else
- MontanaRegistration that never expires — until you buy
- HawaiiThe safety check sits inside the sale
- New HampshireThe 1999 title line that stopped moving
- IdahoA brand from any other state follows the car
- New MexicoEmissions that follow the commute, not the address
- West VirginiaThree days to inspect what you just bought
- WyomingDeer damage, and why no report shows it
- DelawareFree inspection, then a fee on the value
- KansasThe non-highway title, and the brand it leaves
- MississippiOnly the damaged cars still get inspected
- NebraskaTaxed on a price nobody pays any more
- ArkansasThe tax turns on the car you sell
- North DakotaTitling a 40-year-old car with no papers
- UtahOnly salvage cars still get inspected
- LouisianaThe seller warrants no liens, before a notary
- KentuckyA sheriff reads the VIN on every import
- MassachusettsThe RMV gives you the inspection result
- South CarolinaNo salvage brand under $2,000
- AlabamaThe 35-year title line that moves each year
- Wisconsin VIN checkThe 70% rule that stops at seven years
- Minnesota VIN checkSalvage and prior salvage are not severity
- Indiana VIN check45 days from settlement, not from the crash
- Maryland VIN checkTaxed on book value unless you notarize
- Connecticut VIN checkTen ruined components and it never comes back
- Oregon VIN checkThe brand that reaches uninsured damage
- Iowa VIN checkA peace officer checks the parts, not the repair
- Oklahoma VIN checkOrange, red and blue titles, and the dashboard rule
- Alaska VIN checkJunk is not the word you think it is
- Maine VIN checkThe 60-day sticker a dealer owes you
- Rhode Island VIN checkOnly a licensed rebuilder may do the work
License plates by state
Plate rules genuinely differ — who keeps the plate at sale, what a lookup can reach, and what plates quietly tell a buyer.
- California platesThe plate stays with the car here
- Florida platesReplaced every 10 years by law
- Michigan platesOne plate, and it leaves with the seller
- Georgia platesThe county decal is a clue
- North Carolina platesTethered to insurance by law
- Arizona platesSeller keeps the plate — and the credit
- Pennsylvania platesNo stickers since 2016 — police read plates electronically
- Montana platesCounty codes and the LLC registration game
- South Carolina platesCounty property tax comes before the plate
- Hawaii platesFour county systems, no state DMV
- Oregon platesSeller's plates — but they can ride home with you
- Nevada platesTwo plates and a 60-day surrender clock
- Texas platesRead the windshield, not the plate
- Ohio platesThe front plate ended in 2020 — holes date the car
- Illinois platesThe SOS system and B-truck pickups
- Colorado platesThe renewal bill depends on the car's value
- Washington platesFresh metal at every change of owner
- Virginia platesAmerica's vanity plate capital
- New York platesSurrender first, cancel later
- Tennessee platesThe county clerk sets the price
- New Jersey platesSticker-less since 2004
- Massachusetts platesWhere American plates began in 1903
- Connecticut platesCancel the registration or keep paying tax
- Kentucky platesOne unpaid vehicle blocks every renewal
- Kansas platesThe MVE-1 inspection an out-of-state car needs first
- Delaware platesThe low-digit tag that needs a notary to move
- Vermont platesAct 165, and the car that needed no title
- Nebraska platesThe county number frozen since 1922
- Louisiana platesThe brake tag, and the parish it belongs to
- North Dakota platesFive days to get a plateless car home
- Mississippi tagsSeven working days before the penalty starts
- Arkansas platesAssess and pay, or the renewal will not go through
- Maryland platesThe inspection happens at transfer
- Indiana platesThe excise tax rides on every renewal
- Missouri platesThe state where temp tags never die
- Minnesota platesPlates stay with the car — except whiskey plates
- Alaska platesWith the car to the end of the road
- Oklahoma platesSince 2019, the tag leaves with you
- Alabama platesYour renewal month follows your last name
- Maine platesThe town office collects before the state plates
- South Dakota platesCounty codes, and half the RVs in America
- New Hampshire platesThe only state without an insurance mandate
- Iowa platesThe county name is printed on the metal
- Wisconsin platesThe state with a genuinely public lookup tool
- Rhode Island platesReturned at sale, and inherited for generations
- Vanity plate availabilityHow to check, and why requests get refused
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Decoded from official manufacturer and NHTSA records