You might probably be hearing about VIN or surely know more about it, but the question is, how can you check your car VIN for free. Firstly, what is a VIN? The abbreviation VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number, Just like human beings have their unique names, colors, and or whatever can be used to identify them.
Vehicles have unique identification numbers that differentiate them from one another irrespective of the brands, models, or colors. However, you might be asking why vehicles must have a VIN. Well, there are two crucial reasons why vehicle VINs are very important. A VIN can be used to do the following.
- It helps to identify any vehicle.
- Helps to find the history of any vehicle.
Checking a vehicle, VIN will help you find all the hidden information you need to know about any car as long as you can get your hand on the VIN. For instance, when you are buying a car in Nigeria but don’t know much about the vehicle, the best thing to do is to run a VIN check of the car, and you will find all the hidden information about the Car. You can find the following information using VIN:
- Vehicle Production year
- The country the vehicle was produced from.
- The accident history of the Car.
- Insurance status
- Whether the vehicle has been stolen before from the owner, etc.
Understanding what VIN is all about and how to use them will help you not be cheated or scammed by those car dealers. Most car dealers in Nigeria will go abroad and buy accident vehicles, fix them here in Nigeria, repaint them and sell them as clean tokunbo vehicles.
What Is The Best Way To Check A Vin Number For Free?
Vehicles, like people, have a distinct ‘name’ that helps to identify them. Typically, a vehicle identification number is 17 characters long. If your VIN is less than this, your Car was most likely manufactured before 1980. To prevent confusion with the numbers 0 and 1, the letters Q, I, and O are omitted from VIN numbers.
A VIN can look like this 6Y1SL85838Z422439
How to understand the Vin Number of Your Car
Each letter and number on the VIN denotes a specific value. Following is a list of what each number represents according to the VIN used above as an example:
- 1st Character: ‘6’ represents where the vehicle is built.
- 2nd and 3rd Character ‘Y1’ represents the car manufacturers.
- 4th to 8th Characters ‘SL858′ represent vehicles’ portrait brand, engine size, and type.
- 9th Character ‘3’ denotes security code that shows the manufacturer authorized the VIN
- 10th Character ‘8’ denotes the Model Year of the Car
- 11th character ”Z’ denotes which manufacturing plant made the Car.
- 12th to 17th characters ‘422439’ is the serial number of the Car.
Where can I locate my vehicle’s VIN?
The VIN for your vehicle can be found in two ways. The VIN of your Car can normally be found on the dashboard on the driver’s side. Looking from the outside at the corner of the dashboard where it crosses the driver’s seat is the best way to see this.
The second popular place to find your VIN is at the driver’s side door entrance, which locks if it is closed. The VIN can also be found on your insurance card/policy. – The registration and title of the vehicle
How and where to check your vehicles histories using VIN for Free
To get complete details about any vehicle using the VIN, it is recommended to use a paid service that gives you accurate information about the car in a few clicks. However, I understand that not everyone is ready to pay for a VIN check but would prefer to go for a free VIN Check. There is a way to check any Vehicle VIN for free, but the information might be limited. Below are the proven methods you can follow for vehicle VIN lookup.
1. National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB): The National Crime Insurance Office provides information on robbery, losses, or other insurance reports on your vehicle. The service is free. All you need is to get your Car VIN and head straight to the National Insurance Crime Bureau platform. To do that, you need to follow the steps below.
Step 1: Pick up your phone/Laptop, open your browser and go to the NICB VIN check page.
Step 2: Input your vehicle’s VIN in the slot provided.
Step 3: Confirm you are not a robot and agree to their terms and conditions.
Step 4: Click on search.
Following the above method will reveal the history of the vehicle you intend the information about. At least, you will know whether the car has been stolen from the previous owner or has been used to commit any crime in the past. However, the NICB VIN check page can only be used to find the basic information about any vehicle. If you need more, you might consider using a paid service.
2. FAXVIN CHECK: The VIN search from FAXVIN provides you with information such as the vehicle’s history, mileage, and more. The Car’s make and model, Complete loss records, odometer readings, Accidents history, Rollback of Mileage Defects and recalls, Structural damages, Records of liens and repossessions, Hail, floods, and fire injuries, to name a few. Records of theft and recovery Inspection, service, registration history, and other essential car features. Personal, police, or taxi use, inspection, service, and registration history. To check any vehicle VIN using this platform, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Use your phone or Laptop and go to the Faxvin page
Step 2: Input your vehicle’s VIN
Step 3: Click on Check VIN
Completing these processes will help unmask all the confidential information about the vehicle you are checking free of charge. However, notification might not be provided while using the free services, but all the basic things you need to know will be revealed.
3. VINCheckInfo: Another platform that allows you to check vehicle VINs is popularly known as VINCheckinfo, designed to provide more in-depth information about a VIN check. You’ll get information on the vehicle’s fuel economy, sale price history, manufacturer’s recalls, warranties, the best time to purchase a new model, title records, burglary records, accident records, and vehicle features like a year, model, color, and so on. Follow these steps below to check your VIN through this medium.
Step 1: You can use a phone or Laptop to visit the VinCheckInfo page.
Step 2: From the homepage, Enter your Car’s VIN in the space provided; under ‘Run a Free Vehicle Report.’
Step 3: Click on Check VIN.
Immediately you click check VIN. You will be able to see all the basic details of the vehicle in no time. The good news is that you are not paying any money unless you want more.
4. ISeeCars: Another free resource for a more detailed VIN search of your vehicle is iSeeCars. You will get comprehensive reports here, including the Car’s market value, price analysis, history, predicted depreciation, accident statistics, and projected best times to buy and sell. Follow the process below to check VIN for free.
Step 1: Visit the iSeeCars page
Step 2: On the top page, you will find a box to input the VIN. Input your VIN.
Step 3: Click on Analyze.
These four websites have free VIN checks that are both reliable and detailed. It’s sometimes a good idea to get a paid VIN search because these have more detailed information. Many car dealers will also have a free VIN check before you buy a new vehicle.
