Carfax VIN lookup
Enter a VIN to see the vehicle for free, then get its full Carfax report: accidents, title brands, odometer readings, owners and service records. One report is $7.99, or $3.50 a report in a 20-pack.
- The PDF is ready in about a minute.
- A report that can't be produced refunds its credit.
What a Carfax VIN lookup shows
The full report, section by section. Each one links to the page of our sample report where it appears.
Free lookup or full report?
A free VIN lookup tells you what the car is. The full Carfax report tells you what happened to it.
Free, here
- Year, make, model, body and engine
- Whether the VIN is valid (check digit)
- Open safety recalls from NHTSA
Full report, $7.99
- Accidents and damage, with diagrams
- Salvage, flood, rebuilt and lemon titles
- Odometer readings over the years
- Number of owners, service records, liens
Free history sites that promise more usually show a summary from another data source, or ask for a card for a “trial”. Our guide to getting a Carfax report for free covers the ways that actually work.
Looking up more than one car?
Credits never expire, so a pack covers every car you look at. $7.99 for one, down to $3.50 each in the 20-pack. Carfax.com charges $44.99 for one.
All prices1 report
One full vehicle history report
$7.99
$7.99 per report · single price
Buy5 reports
Save 34%Compare several cars before you buy
$25.99
$5.20 per report
Buy10 reports
Save 46%For serious shoppers and flippers
$42.99
$4.30 per report
Buy20 reports
Save 56%Lowest price per report
$69.99
$3.50 per report
Buy
Dealer and wholesale, 100+ reports a month
Tell us your monthly volume and we will send you a wholesale quote.
Where to find the VIN for a lookup
Seventeen letters and numbers, never an I, O or Q. Check that the VIN on the car matches the one on the paperwork.
- 1
Windshield, driver's side
A small plate where the dashboard meets the glass. Read it from outside the car.
- 2
Driver's door jamb
On the sticker by the latch, with the tire pressures and build date.
- 3
Title and registration
Printed on both. It should match the car exactly.
- 4
Insurance card
Handy when the car is yours and you're selling.
- 5
The listing
Most sellers post it. If one won't share the VIN, treat that as an answer.
Free checks to run first
Decode the VIN, look up open recalls or catch a typo. No account needed.
Carfax VIN lookup questions
New to reading one? See how to read a Carfax report.
Type the 17-character VIN in the box above. You see the vehicle's year, make and model for free, then pay $7.99 for the full Carfax report, or $3.50 a report in the 20-pack. The PDF usually arrives in about a minute, by email and in your account.
Decoding the VIN is free here: you see the year, make and model before you pay anything. Our recall check and VIN validator are free too. The full Carfax history, with accidents, title brands, owners and mileage, is a paid report.
Yes. It's the Carfax Vehicle History Report for that VIN, delivered as Carfax produces it. Carfax.com charges $44.99 for one; we buy reports at wholesale and sell them one at a time.
No. Lookups here are by VIN only. The VIN is on the dashboard by the windshield, on the driver's door frame, and on the title and registration.
Cars and light trucks sold in the US and Canada. A VIN from a car built for another market won't have a Carfax record, and if a report can't be produced, the credit goes back to your account automatically.
Check the car before you drive it home
One report is $7.99, and you see the vehicle before you pay anything.