Free VIN check: model, engine, recalls, crash tests

What it shows

Make, model and trim
year of manufacture
Body type, doors and seats
Engine: displacement, cylinders, power
Fuel, hybrid or electric
Drive type and transmission
Where it was built: country and city
Airbags, ABS and stability control
Whether the code was entered correctly
Factory recalls
Crash-test stars
Owner complaints: what fails most often
Fuel consumption per 100 km
Links to check theft, total loss and auction photos

What it does not show

Full accident history
Mileage
Number of owners
Service history
Liens and loans

This data is not in free databases; only paid services have it (for example Carfax, AutoCheck). Theft, total loss and auction photos you can check for free through the links under the result. Before buying a car, have it checked by a mechanic or at a diagnostics centre.

Where to find the VIN

On the windscreen

On the driver's side, in the lower corner of the glass. Readable from outside.

On the driver's door frame

Open the door: there is a sticker or plate on the frame.

In the registration certificate

The car's registration document, in the VIN field.

On the body and by the engine

Often stamped under the bonnet too.

What the 17 characters mean

1–3Manufacturer and country
4–8Model, body, engine
9Check digit
10Model year
11Plant
12–17Serial number

The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN.

Where the data comes from

The data comes from the official databases of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): VIN decoding, recalls, crash tests and owner complaints. Fuel economy comes from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is most accurate for cars built for the US market, and those are exactly the cars most often imported to Georgia (from Copart, IAAI and other auctions). For cars built for the European, Japanese and Korean markets the database often knows only the manufacturer, country and year.

Frequently asked questions

Is the VIN check really free?

Yes, completely free. No sign-up and no limit.

Will I see accidents and mileage?

Not the full history or mileage: only paid services have those. With the buttons under the result you can check for free whether the car is recorded as stolen or a total loss (NICB), and search for auction photos if it was sold on Copart or IAAI.

What is a recall?

When a manufacturer admits a defect and offers owners a free fix. Here you see every recall for this model and year, and the NHTSA link shows whether it was fixed on your particular car.

Why is my car's model not showing?

The database is American. For cars built for the European, Japanese and Korean markets we often show only the manufacturer, country and year.

Where do I find my car's VIN?

In the lower corner of the windscreen on the driver's side, on the driver's door frame and in the registration certificate.

How many characters are in a VIN?

17: Latin letters and digits. The letters I, O and Q are not used, so they can't be confused with 1 and 0.

What is Orbis?

Roadside protection for your car: tow truck, on-the-spot jump start, tyre change and fuel delivery 24/7, one membership, 9.90 GEL a month.

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Free VIN check

Decode any 17-character VIN for free, with no sign-up: make, model, year, body, engine, fuel, drive type, transmission and where the car was built, plus factory recalls, NCAP crash-test stars, owner complaints and fuel economy, from the official NHTSA and EPA databases, with links to check theft, total loss and auction photos. Join Orbis