Used car guides
Everything you need to check a used car with confidence.
What is a VIN and where do I find it?
The 17-character code that unlocks a car’s entire history, and the five places to find it.
Read →The used-car buying checklist
46 checks in nine steps: free VIN checks, the history report, paperwork, inspection, test drive and price. Printable.
Read →Titles and history reports
What a report can and cannot tell you, and what each one costs today.
Salvage, rebuilt and branded titles explained
What each title brand means, what it does to the value, and how an NMVTIS check reveals brands a clean paper title hides.
Read →Best vehicle history report
Carfax, AutoCheck, Bumper, EpicVIN, VinAudit and ClearVin compared on price, subscription traps and NMVTIS approval, with the date each price was checked.
Read →Vehicle history FAQ
What a history report shows, what NMVTIS is, every title brand, every provider’s price, and what CarWorthIt does and does not do.
Read →What a Carfax report costs
Today’s Carfax prices for one, two and four reports, the free routes, and why the $3.99 resellers are a risk.
Read →Cheap Carfax report
The free routes, the cheapest pack for one to six cars, why $5 Carfax sites are a risk, and cheaper legitimate reports.
Read →How to get an AutoCheck report free
eBay Motors and dealer listings include one; what AutoCheck charges if neither applies.
Read →Bumper review
The trial, the monthly price, the cancellation terms and what the report contains, checked on Bumper’s own site.
Read →Checking a specific car?
Run its VIN free for the full specification, open safety recalls, crash-test ratings and running costs, then see what it is worth near you.
Decode any VIN free with the VIN decoder, or browse all guides.