Buying a car involves certain risks: the vehicle might be stolen, pledged, or have been in a serious accident. Purchasing such a car can create serious problems for the buyer, and not just financial ones. Therefore, before buying a used car, it should be thoroughly and comprehensively checked: for legal cleanliness and compliance with the stated technical parameters. It is crucial to track the vehicle`s history to avoid purchasing from a dishonest seller. Special services can help with this: official resources as well as specialized websites. We have selected the best of them for their reliability and the relevance of the information provided in the report.

Why Check a Car at All

Checking a car is a guarantee of safety in all respects. With a thorough approach, the buyer can avoid several issues:

  • Legal issues: The car might be pledged, and obtaining ownership rights might only be possible through the courts. Even worse, the car could be stolen, which involves risks of a different nature and level.

  • Financial issues: The car might have been in an accident, repainted, etc., making it unsafe to use the vehicle.

Relying on chance, the buyer risks both money and property. There is a possibility of ending up without funds and without a car. To prevent this, it is recommended to use the services listed below.

Also Read: Checking a Car for Arrest.

What is VIN and What Information Can It Provide

VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. It is a sequence of numbers and letters assigned to each vehicle during production. It is marked on the car's body or chassis and looks like a special tag. If we draw an analogy with a person, VIN can be considered akin to fingerprints. This number follows the vehicle everywhere, detailing its history. It is included in the technical passport and the vehicle registration certificate.

With a VIN, you can obtain a lot of information:

  • Registration restrictions: If the car is pledged, under arrest, or has any restrictive decisions from customs authorities, judicial structures, etc.

  • Possible theft: If the car is stolen, this information will be straightforward to find out.

  • Accidents: Any accidents the car has been involved in. Sellers rarely disclose this information as it can reduce the car's value, but knowing about accidents is crucial because the car might be unsafe for further use without additional repairs, which can significantly lower the price. Often, vehicles are repaired just to be sold, with savings made on everything possible.

  • Inaccuracies in objective data: For example, a lower mileage may indicate that the odometer has been tampered with.

  • Ownership history: How many owners the car has had and when it was re-registered.

A less obvious but important point is that you can find out the car's configuration and which spare parts are suitable using the VIN. This can influence your decision (for instance, if the vehicle is too expensive to maintain). The VIN can be checked. It is recommended to use the best and most reliable car history check services for this.

Methods for Checking a Car

You can use official websites, international resources, or specialized Ukrainian online services to check a car.

Official Website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The main resource to check is the driver's personal account (https://e-driver.mvs.gov.ua/blog/services/2) on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (Main Service Center). To check a vehicle by VIN, you will need to register in the system, enter the data, and pay a fee of approximately 55 hryvnias.

Thanks to the service, you can obtain all the necessary information about the vehicle, including its make, model, year of manufacture, and date of first registration. The result will be provided within a few hours in PDF format. Sometimes delays are possible.

Best International Car History Check Services

There are many international car history check services that provide quality information services, allowing you to quickly get data about a car and its history. Some options include:

  • National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB): You can check VIN data directly on the homepage, where the identifier check form is located at the top. The service is primarily used to assess the involvement of the vehicle in criminal incidents or actions.

  • ClearVin: A paid service that offers flexible options for obtaining a report (certain parameters can be added to the report optionally, by choice). The cost of the service depends on the amount of data in the report. There is also an option to check the vehicle by its license plate number.

  • iSeeCars: Unlike the previous service, it provides information for free, almost in the same volume, though there may be nuances.

  • VinPit: Provides information on used cars, regardless of the country of initial registration and other parameters.

  • CheckCar: Provides information about cars, allowing for a detailed assessment of the risks associated with purchasing a particular vehicle.

  • CarFax: One of the best and largest international databases of motor vehicles, containing data on millions of cars worldwide.

  • VinFreeCheck: Provides basic information about the car.

These are the best but not all car history check services. For the most comprehensive information, it is recommended to use several databases at once.

Best Ukrainian Websites and Online Services

In addition to the mentioned methods, you can use Ukrainian services to check a car. These services can be found freely available. Most of the resources offer their services for a certain fee, which is determined by the detail of the report and other parameters.

You can evaluate the complete history of the car on the VinCleaning website. We thoroughly check the car's data and provide only the information you need. The report includes:

  • Information about the vehicle manufacturer

  • Year of manufacture

  • Information about the owners

  • Vehicle defects

  • Information about documents and legal cleanliness

The results can be obtained automatically within a few seconds. In terms of accuracy, speed of provision, availability of information, comprehensiveness, and volume of the database, this is one of the best services for checking cars.

What Else Can Be Done During the Check

You can also refer to indirect data. For example, check if the vehicle has insurance, when it was issued, and if there is any data about accidents. This can be done through the MTSBU website (https://policy-web.mtsbu.ua). Simply fill out the form and submit a request.

In Conclusion

Using services to check the car's history is essential, in addition to assessing the vehicle on-site. All methods should be used in combination. To obtain comprehensive information, it is best to use multiple sources and evaluation methods simultaneously. Specifically, it is recommended to refer to the best car history check services and best free VIN check services to get the most accurate and complete data.