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Decode it free
Paste the VIN. We check its check digit and read the maker, where it was built, the model year and the serial straight from the characters.
Before you buy used
Paste the 17 characters from any listing. We decode what they say right here, free. Want the rest of the story? A person pulls the records and writes it up in plain English.
The decoder runs in your browser. Your VIN is only sent if you ask for a report.
How it works
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Paste the VIN. We check its check digit and read the maker, where it was built, the model year and the serial straight from the characters.
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Pick a report level. A person works through the federal recall, theft and total-loss databases and title records for that VIN.
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You get what the records say, what they do not say, and the questions to ask the seller, by email.
Free VIN decoder
The check digit catches typos and many fake VINs. North American cars must pass it.
Order a report
Send the VIN and why you are asking. We confirm we can find records for it, then send the report by email.
You pay only after we confirm the records exist.
Prefer email? Write to Lucky ↗Fields marked * are required.
We use what you send only to reply to you. See our privacy policy.
Pricing
The decoder above is free. A report is a person working through the public records for your VIN and writing up what they say in plain English.
$4.99 per VIN
Open recalls, theft and total-loss checks from the free federal and insurance databases, explained.
$9.99 per VIN, or 5 for $29
Quick, plus title-brand and odometer records and past sale listings we can find, with what to ask the seller.
$19.99 per VIN
Full, plus a call-ready list of questions for the seller and a second look at the listing photos for mismatches.
You pay only after we confirm we can find records for your VIN. Reports cover what public records show; they do not replace an inspection by a mechanic.
Before you send
Yes. It is arithmetic on the VIN and runs in your browser, so it costs us nothing to offer and nothing to you.
No. We work from public records: the federal recall database, theft and total-loss checks, title records and past listings, and explain them. We are not affiliated with Carfax or AutoCheck.
Yes. A failed check digit on a North American car is a red flag, and so is a VIN that does not match the model in the listing. The decoder catches the first; the report checks the second.
No report replaces an inspection. Get a mechanic to look at any car before you pay for it.