VIN and Vehicle History

Yes, you do need a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in order to get a vehicle history report.  VINs are like social security numbers for cars and are used to track information on a vehicle throughout its entire life.

A VIN is a unique 17-character identifier coded into every car and light truck with a model year 1981 or later.  VINs indicate a vehicle's year, make, model, and where it was manufactured, in addition to other information.  VINs are used to identify a vehicle in case of theft, repair or documenting vehicle history.  For these reasons, VINs are the primary identifying information used to obtain a vehicle history report.

License Plates and Driver License

You might wonder why a license plate or driver’s license number might not be used to get a vehicle history report.  There are a couple of reasons.

• License plates usually change on a vehicle each time it is sold, and some license plates are transferred to other cars purchased by the owner.  So usually a single vehicle may have numerous license plates assigned to it throughout its life.
  
• Driver’s license numbers are assigned to drivers, not vehicles, so they would serve no use in obtaining a vehicle history report.

Ordering a Vehicle History Report

So in short, the VIN is an identifier that is unique to every car in the world, which is why the VIN is used in obtaining a vehicle history report.  If you’ve obtained your VIN from the car’s dashboard, door jamb, or title and would like to obtain a vehicle history report, it’s quick and easy to order one online.  It takes a few minutes to order your vehicle history report and get the information you need fast.