History of VIN Lookup Services

Nowadays, we can’t even imagine purchasing a used car without checking its history. It is such a common thing today that most dealers and even some private sellers provide a VIN report along with vehicle title and maintenance records when selling a car. But do you know what stands behind such a popular service?

What’s a VIN report?

A VIN lookup provides customers with a comprehensive vehicle history. This is an easy and reliable way to track records of any used car or motorcycle. History reports can indicate items of public record such as title branding, lemon law buybacks, odometer fraud, product recalls, auction sales, valuation, and much more. 

A VIN lookup service background.

Millions of previously-owned cars used to be sold without professional vehicle verification. Therefore, the number of local and interstate fraudulent transactions triggered the necessity for reliable car lookup services to protect used-cars consumers and businesses. There were some local attempts to create a database, but most of them contained limited information on a restricted number of vehicles. Eventually, the government created the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), a federal database collecting automobile information from all state DMVs, insurance carriers, and salvage industry representatives. It was a huge step forward for both used car consumers and dealers regarding protection and field development in general.

A VIN lookup service today.

Today, the used vehicle industry represents one of the largest retail segments of the U.S. economy. Thanks to modern technology, there is an opportunity to collect data from different sources providing a wide range of services. A lot of various vehicle history providers are popping up all around. However, the main resource is still NMVTIS, which has about a dozen approved data providers. Only about half of which, including ClearVin, resell car history data to the public. We gather this information in a comprehensive ClearVIN VIN Check Report that reveals all the hidden pitfalls. Our VIN decoder can help you make an informed decision when buying a used car, as you can verify that the seller’s claims match up with the information provided by the VIN. Those involved in business can make use of our bulk vehicle history report to meet their needs. If you’re looking to learn what exactly sets ClearVin apart from other NMVTIS data providers, read our article.