Every CARFAX Vehicle History Report contains information that can impact a consumer’s decision to buy a used vehicle.

As you look for ways to save money on your next used car purchase, CARFAX can help. There are several ways to get free Vehicle History Report during the shopping process. We can help you get a CARFAX report regardless of whether you’re browsing cars for sale online, or looking at cars on a dealer’s lot.

Get a Free Vehicle History Report with CARFAX Used Car Listings

Every car listed in our Used Car Listings comes with a free CARFAX report. What’s more, thousands of vehicles listed on sites like AutoTrader.com and Cars.com can include a free history report from CARFAX. Look for the free CARFAX Report links and get the same vehicle history information that is available for purchase on CARFAX.com.If a vehicle listing does not include a link to a free car report, it simply means that a CARFAX-subscribing dealer has not recently run a report for that vehicle. You may want to buy a CARFAX Report or ask the dealer for one.

Visit the Dealer’s Website

A free CARFAX report is also available through many dealer websites. As you browse a dealer’s used car inventory, look for links to free CARFAX Reports. If a link is unavailable, contact the dealer and ask them for the CARFAX Report.Free CARFAX Reports are available at many car dealerships in your area. Just ask the dealer when you visit their showroom.

Ask the Seller for CARFAX Reports

If you are considering a vehicle for sale by a private seller, ask them for the CARFAX Report. If they do not have the report or are reluctant to share the vehicle’s history, you may want to purchase the report for yourself.In addition to getting a CARFAX Report, before you buy a vehicle we recommend taking a test drive and having the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic.

free carfax report without paying
free carfax report without paying

Take Advantage of a Free CARFAX Car Care Account

Sign up for a free CARFAX Car Care account and view your vehicle service history. You’ll also get alerts for upcoming service, find trusted service shops and be the first to know about open recalls. Car Care makes taking care of your car easier than ever.

3 Ways To Get a Free VIN Check Before Buying a Used Car

Every vehicle has its own number, appropriately called a Vehicle Identification Number: VIN. Researching that number can tell you a lot including the car’s registrations by state, type of title and whether anyone’s made an insurance claim on the vehicle following an accident.

There are several ways to get a VIN checked that won’t cost a penny. You can even get one on your current car if you’re just curious about its history before you owned it.

Here’s Where To Get a Completely Free VIN Check!

There are a variety of services you can use for a completely free VIN check before you buy a used car.

Getting a VIN check is especially important if you’re buying a car through Craigslist or eBay since you’re not working with a dealership that could provide free access to paid sites such CARFAX, AutoCheck or autoDNA.com.

You can get a free VIN check at the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), VehicleHistory.com or iSeeCars.com/VIN.

Just pop in your car’s digits and these sites will do the VIN lookup and give you information on the vehicle.

But you should use more than one of these sites to get the full picture. Read on to find out why.

Table of Contents: 

National Insurance Crime Bureau

VehicleHistory

iSeeCars

How To Decode Your VIN

Clark’s Key Rules for Used-Car Buying

National Insurance Crime Bureau

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB.org) keeps it simple with its VIN check search tool. The site will tell you if your vehicle has been:

  • Reported as lost or stolen
  • Salvaged
  • Declared a total loss following an accident
free carfax report without paying
free carfax report without paying

This is the most basic of the completely free VIN checks you can get, and this site is limited to five searches within a 24-hour period per IP address.

To get your report, visit the website and enter your car’s VIN number under “Look Up a VIN.” Once you agree to the terms and conditions and verify that you aren’t a robot, you can click “Search VIN.”