Purchasing a used car always carries a certain risk associated with its technical and legal aspects. The car's usage history might include episodes that can overshadow the joy of purchase with expensive repairs or the inability to drive due to legal issues.

For potential buyers in Ukraine, there are many ways to check a car by its registration number for free, thus obtaining a complete picture of the vehicle to make a well-informed decision about whether to proceed with the purchase or reject it.

Why Check a Car

The advisability of obtaining additional information (besides what the owner provides) about the vehicle by checking its license plate before purchase is due to several factors. Simple actions are aimed at identifying the legal status, full or partial history, and technical condition of the car. Let’s delve into this in more detail.

Checking Legal Status

It is necessary to check the car by its registration number to confirm its legal status. There are many cases where unscrupulous sellers try to get rid of a car that is pledged, wanted, or stolen, transferring the burden of problems to the new owner.

Obtaining information about the availability of original documents, absence of legal issues, and no tampering with the vehicle’s structure for illegal sale indicates that the car is legally clean. It can be purchased without fearing restrictions on registration actions from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

If during the check it turns out that there is a ban on registration, it is better to refuse the purchase immediately. Otherwise, the buyer faces long court battles with unpredictable outcomes. These often do not end in favor of the bona fide owner, as the sold car might legally belong to another person.

Sometimes cars are put up for sale by lessees who do not own them. They claim to have bought the rights to the vehicle early and closed the deal with the lessor. To avoid losing the car, it is wise to check the vehicle by its registration number in a specialized online service or app for free. Even if the seller is truthful, such cars almost always have a significant drawback — substantial, sometimes critical wear and tear due to intensive use.

Read also: Checking a car for arrest - how to get reliable data 

Checking History

The need to check a car by its number is also associated with obtaining information about its usage history. This includes the following information:

  • Year of manufacture, make/model;

  • Involvement in road accidents;

  • History of fines;

  • Number of previous owners;

  • Mileage change dynamics, risk of odometer tampering;

  • Participation in recall campaigns;

  • Customs history;

  • Use in taxis, car sharing;

  • Technical inspection data, etc.

By following these guidelines and using reliable online services or apps, you can check a car’s registration number, ensuring a safer and more informed purchase decision.

Standard Report on Car Check

A standard car check report includes data from insurance companies. This information can reveal whether the vehicle in question was totaled, having sustained critical damage after an accident. The status of a salvaged or flooded vehicle should also raise concerns about purchasing the car.

Cars sold at auctions should be viewed with skepticism. Often, vehicles in poor technical condition, whose restoration is not cost-effective, are put up for auction.

Additionally, you can learn about other reliable ways to check a car's history from our blog.

Checking Technical Condition

Car check reports by registration number from some services include information from official service centers where the vehicle was serviced or repaired. This helps make preliminary conclusions about the vehicle’s condition based on the nature of the repairs and the types of parts used. The absence of such information, especially for older cars, might indicate repairs done in unofficial garages, indirectly suggesting a poorer condition.

You might also be interested in how to:

Overview of Online Services and Apps for Car Check by License Plate

UKR.ZONE

You can check a car by its license plate using information from the Unified Register of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. It contains data on transactions with vehicles conducted after January 1, 2013. Information on stolen and wanted cars is also available. There is an option to get information about the status of previous owners, whether they are individuals or legal entities.

Advantages of the service:

  • Concisely designed, user-friendly website;

  • Works with official databases;

  • Provides additional information (most sold models, average prices in Ukraine, etc.).

AutoRept

This service collaborates with databases on all registration activities in Ukraine for over a decade. The search is conducted by entering data in Ukrainian.

Advantages:

  • Always up-to-date information as of the 1st of each month;

  • Specializes in cars registered in Ukraine.

Automoli

An international service available to residents of Ukraine. It provides verified and reliable information around the clock. Reports are stored for one month in the user's personal account and include dozens of car assessment parameters. Sample reports are available for review.

Advantages:

  • Allows you to check a car by its license plate or VIN code;

  • Provides data on cars from Europe and the United States;

  • Includes VIN number decoding features;

  • Offers a partnership program.

AutoCheck

A useful service for potential buyers of cars from the USA and Canada. It collaborates with owners of more than 10 databases, including government agencies, insurers, auctions, and dealerships. However, it does not provide information about service history and types of damage in accidents.

Advantages:

  • Assigns its own car rating on a scale from 1 to 100;

  • Allows comparison of interested models;

  • Offers report packages at discounted rates.

CarVertical

An international service that launched a global vehicle history registry in 2019. The owners claim to generate reports based on data from more than 900 sources worldwide (law enforcement agencies, insurers, car dealers, lessors, national registries, car auctions, and others).

Advantages:

  • Includes information about specifications and equipment features in the report;

  • Uses blockchain technology for data verification;

  • Provides a checklist for car inspection before making a deal;

  • Offers sample reports.

Opendatabot

An application with an integrated chatbot that uses data from the public information portal data.gov.ua. It generates a report based on more than 20 state registries and promptly tracks changes.

Advantages:

  • Provides analytics;

  • Monitors fines through traffic violation video monitoring systems;

  • Allows you to obtain information about the owner and all their vehicles.

PAN Program

Provides information about a car based on the open database of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. It contains data on more than 8 million vehicles and over 80,000 records of wanted and stolen cars. Checking a car by its license plate displays previously conducted operations with the relevant number, including code, date, and decryption.

The report contains some information about previous owners, whether they are individuals or legal entities, and registration address according to KOATUU.

Advantages:

  • Verified information from official sources;

  • Entering the number in the search form using Ukrainian, Russian layout, or Latin script;

  • Determining the VIN code by license plate if the car is found in the wanted/stolen list.

You can use this program on the portal unda.com.ua in the "Check car by license plate" section.

Mobile Applications

Navis Apps LLC

Navis Apps LLC is a popular application that allows you to check a car by its license plate, developed by Navis Apps. It is compatible with devices running on the Android OS. Information is provided from the databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine for free. The data is constantly updated and accompanied by high-quality photos, making it easy to track changes in the appearance of the vehicle.

Advantages:

  • Always up-to-date information;

  • Additional services available (VIN code decoding, ordering technical inspection, online CASCO registration, assistance in selecting a car, etc.);

  • The application is optimized for the Ukrainian language.

UK Car Checkup

UK Car Checkup is a less popular application with similar functionality to the one mentioned above. It has mixed user reviews but can be used as a supplement or alternative to the first one.