Free vs. paid vehicle history reports

Three free tools take a few minutes and can stop a bad deal early.

• NHTSA's VIN decoder reads the 17-character VIN and shows the year, make, model, and other details built into it. If that doesn't match the ad, stop and ask why.
• NHTSA's recall lookup shows safety recalls that were never repaired on that exact car. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for that brand. It won't show recalls more than 15 years old (unless the automaker covers more years) or some from small brands. Very new recalls may not be matched to every VIN yet, so check again before you buy.
• NICB's VINCheck shows whether participating insurers reported the car stolen and not recovered, or as salvage or flood-damaged. You get up to five searches a day.

What they miss: state title brands, odometer history, and accident and repair records. NICB says plainly that VINCheck is not a full vehicle history.

Watch out for sites that advertise a "free VIN check." Some show only a summary, then charge for the full report. The NHTSA and NICB checks above are free all the way through.

NMVTIS, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, is a federal title database overseen by the Justice Department. You buy a report from one of the providers the Justice Department approves. Each sets its own price, and many charge around $10.

An NMVTIS report covers five things:

• The state that titled the car most recently, and the date of that title.
• Brand history: labels a state put on the title, like junk, salvage, or flood.
• The latest odometer reading on record.
• Total-loss history: whether an insurer declared the car a total loss.
• Salvage history: whether the car went to a salvage yard, junk yard, or auto recycler.

Federal law requires insurers, junk yards, salvage yards, and auto recyclers to report to NMVTIS, and state title agencies supply the title records. That's why it's the core check for a washed title, where a brand gets dropped when the car is re-titled in another state.

Compare the report's mileage with the dashboard. If the car shows fewer miles now than an earlier record, that's a red flag for a rolled-back odometer.

What it misses: repair, recall, and maintenance history, and damage that never led to a brand or a total loss. The Justice Department also warns that a search can come back clean when a record simply wasn't reported. A clean report is good news, not proof.

Liens aren't one of the five NMVTIS checks. A lien means a lender still has a claim on the car because the seller owes money on it. The paid VINsmart report in the VIN check above goes beyond NMVTIS and also looks for liens. We may earn a commission if you buy it. A report isn't the final word on liens, though: check the front of the title for a lienholder, and if one is listed, get the lender's lien release before you pay.

Commercial history reports, such as Carfax and AutoCheck, pull from more sources. They may list past accidents, repair and service records, and past owners. The FTC notes that some of these reports add accident and repair history you won't find in an NMVTIS report.

The catch: a report can only show what someone reported to that company. A fender-bender fixed without an insurance claim may never appear. The Justice Department says the same gaps that affect NMVTIS can exist in private databases.

Not every history report is an NMVTIS report. If you want the government title data, buy from a provider on the approved list.

Some dealers and private sellers offer a commercial report for free. Use it, but check two things first:

• The VIN on the report matches the VIN on the dashboard, the driver's door label, and the title.
• The date. Anything that happened after the report was run won't be on it.

A report the seller picked is a bonus, not a substitute. Run your own title report too.

Every report looks backward. Only a mechanic looking at the car can tell you what's wrong with it now, like leaks, rust, worn parts, or signs of flood or accident repairs. The FTC says a history report is not a substitute for an independent inspection, and it typically won't list mechanical problems. You'll pay the mechanic's fee, but the FTC notes it can help you avoid paying for a car with major problems.

1. Choose the mechanic yourself, not one the seller picks.
2. If the seller won't let the car leave, ask about a mobile inspection or ask them to bring the car to a shop you choose.
3. Ask for a written report with repair estimates and the car's VIN on it.
4. Use the estimate to negotiate the price, or walk away.

Get the inspection even if the car is "certified" or comes with a warranty.

For every used car:

1. Run the free checks. They take minutes and cost nothing.
2. Get an NMVTIS title report before you pay, especially from a private seller or when the car was titled in another state.
3. Get an independent inspection before you sign or pay.

Optional: a commercial report if the seller gives you one, or if accident and service records would change your mind, like when you're choosing between two similar cars.

So is a cheaper report as good? For title problems, yes. An NMVTIS report has the state title brands, plus the salvage and total-loss records that insurers and salvage yards must report. It also shows the latest odometer reading on record, but service records in a commercial report can add more mileage readings to compare. For accident and service history, a commercial report may show more. Neither one tells you what a mechanic will find.