Vehicle License Plate Search

Vehicle License Plate Search

What Is A Vehicle License Plate Search?

A vehicle license plate search is similar to a VIN check. You type in the license plate number of a given vehicle, and we provide you with information about it.

What Can I Learn From A Vehicle License Plate Search?

You can learn a wealth of information that has been recorded about the vehicle the license plate has been assigned to. This can include:

  • Any title branding
  • If it has been in any major accidents
  • If it has been reported stolen
  • Who the current owner of the vehicle is
  • If it has any vehicle registration issues
  • If it is on the road legally
  • If it has passed the most recent vehicle inspection
  • Other information publicly available

Who Does A License Plate Search?

People do license plate searches for a variety of different reasons. For the most part, it's used when someone is thinking about buying a car and wants to get the vehicle history before they make a decision. They know that sellers won't always tell them about problems with the vehicle. This is a good route to go, if for some reason you don't have access to the VIN number.

It can also be used if you see someone give your car a minor ding in a parking lot and want to contact them without involving the police. Other people want to make sure that a car that belongs to someone their children may be riding with is a safe car.

It doesn't matter that much why you want to perform a license plate search. It's up to you.

Where Does The Information For A License Plate Search Come From?

There are many sources we use for our license plate search service. Much of it comes from various motor vehicle departments. Other information comes from insurance companies, and still more comes from service stations. We use a wide variety of sources in our license plate search system, including federal motor vehicle databases.

Is It Legal For Me To Do A License Plate Check With Vehicle History?

Yes it is. Various laws including the Freedom of Information Act give people the right to access data collected by the government. This is because the people and equipment used to collect and record the data are paid for with your taxes. Since you paid for the data to be created, the government feels that you own it and should be able to access it.

Beyond that, the government has an interest in cutting down on used car fraud and auto theft. For that reason, they want you to be able to access this information.

Are You The Only Company That Offers A License Plate Check?

No. Vehicle History is not the only license plate check provider. However, most of the other companies out there will charge you money to check out a license plate. Our service is free, yet still delivers a high level of value. We think that makes us the right choice when you want to perform a license plate check.

Could I Do A License Plate Check On My Own?

In theory you could, but in practice it would be much harder. You'd have to contact every DMV, police department, federal agency, service station and insurance company yourself. That would not only cost you a lot of time, but it would also be fairly expensive. By the time you finished it, the car you were thinking of buying might already have been purchased by someone else!

On the the other hand, when you use our free license plate check service, it costs you no money at all and you get the information delivered to you laptop, desktop or mobile device in a matter of minutes. We think that's a better deal.