VIN inspection, VIN check, or car inspection?
People search "VIN inspection" for three completely different things. Two of them we can help with immediately. One of them only your state can do. Here is how to tell which you need.
1. A state VIN inspection or VIN verification
This is a title and registration formality. An authorised official — usually the DMV, a state patrol officer, or a licensed verifier — physically checks that the VIN plate on the car matches the paperwork. States commonly require it when you bring a vehicle in from out of state, register a rebuilt or salvage title, or title a homebuilt vehicle.
It says nothing about the car's condition. Rules, fees and who is allowed to perform it differ by state, so check your own DMV. Autoquiry cannot perform a state VIN verification.
2. A VIN records check — $1.99
A data lookup on the VIN itself. Our Instant VIN Check returns the factory build data and specifications the vehicle left the plant with, any open safety recalls, and records for stolen, salvage and flood-damaged vehicles. It takes seconds and needs nobody to see the car.
Use it to sanity-check a listing before you drive across town: confirm the trim and engine are what the seller claims, and rule out a theft or flood record.
Run an instant VIN check3. A pre-purchase condition inspection — from $14.99
A certified inspector physically examines the car against a 28-point checklist, rates the severity of what they find, writes notes and takes photographs. This is the only one of the three that tells you whether the car is mechanically and structurally sound.
Search by VIN to see whether a report already exists for the car you are looking at, or ask us to inspect a specific vehicle.
Short version
- • Registering or titling the car → your state DMV.
- • Checking the VIN's records and history → Instant VIN Check, $1.99.
- • Deciding whether to buy the car → pre-purchase inspection report.