A Vehicle History Report containts important information about a vehicle’s past. Since there are many similar Makes and Models of a vehicle, it was decided in 1981 to “label” each Vehicle with a unique Vehicle Identification Number, or “VIN“.
Looking Up a Vehicle History Report
There are multiple ways to look up a Vehicle History using a Vehicle History Reporting Service, but we will go over that later. Here is the information you will receive when you order a Vehicle History Report:
- The current and previous state of the Title Data
- The date(s) that the title was (re)Issued
- Latest Odometer Data
- Theft History Data (if any)
- Any Title Brands that are assigned to the vehicle’s VIN
- Any Salvage History, including whether or not the vehicle was a “Total Loss” (more about Total Loss here)
- and possibly some other information, depending on the vendor providing the Vehicle History Report
Where Can I Get a Vehicle History Report
There the big (and inherently expensive) companies like CarFax that provide Vehicle History Reports, but in the past several years, quite a few smaller, just as reliable companies have popped up that charge a fraction of what companies like CarFax charge. Here is a list of those companies:
For more information about Vehicle History Reports, please visit Wikipedia’s article on Vehicle History Reports.