Instant VIN Lookup
Find a Complete List of All the Cars You've Owned
Table of Contents
Tracking previous car ownership is significant for different reasons. These include investigating potential ownership concerns like stolen car reports and salvage titles, and determining insurance risk. Potential automobile owners also track previous car ownership to detect title washing, reconstruct repair records, and establish the historical significance and value of vintage cars, and resale history. Some car tracking methods have no attached costs while others require a fee. Some car tracking techniques require seekers to obtain permission before accessing car ownership-related data.
How To Find Out All the Cars You've Owned
Interested parties can use various methods to obtain car ownership history. These include unofficial methods like online databases and personal records and official techniques like the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). While State DMVs hold the most authoritative car-related data, these title and registration record details are subject to fees and privacy regulations.
The NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System) encompasses car-related data about salvage yards, insurance institutions, and State DMVs. Insurance establishments, which restrict personal information due to privacy regulations, store records concerning past accidents that cars have experienced. Unofficial techniques like online databases and personal records can be used to obtain car ownership history.
Moreover, these methods may be unreliable when databases are not updated. They may also offer incomplete information due to privacy concerns. Interested parties that use supplemental sources like online databases and personal records may have to cross-reference data from several sources to ensure accuracy.
Use DMV and State Vehicle Records
The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) holds physical and digital records that contain car title and registration details. Interested parties can request car ownership records from the DMV using different methods. They can request this data online through the DMV website, through DMV kiosks, by phone, and by mail. To request car ownership records from a State DMV, an individual first has to identify where the car was registered. The seeker will then visit the State DMV's website and find the record request form. The interested party will be expected to fill in details like the vehicle identification number (VIN), Owner's name, license plate number, reason for the request, and personal data. This data can be submitted in person, by mail, or online.
To obtain this data online in the State of California, for instance, interested parties could submit a vehicle record request through the State's DMV website. To obtain this data by mail in the State of California, the seeker can ask for records previously owned by him through a vehicle registration information record (INF 1125). If the seeker is looking for a separate individual's vehicle record by mail, he has to submit a record for request information (INF 170) to the DMV office. In California, interested parties can submit requests for car ownership data to the State's DMV office at:
DMV Information Release Unit
MS G199
PO Box 944247
Sacramento, CA 94244-2470
All such requests incur a $5 fee.
In California, interested parties can also request to access car ownership details from the DMV by calling the number (916) 657-8098.
Every state has DMV regulations that determine how long they keep car ownership records. In most states, this period ranges from 5 to 10 years. For instance, in Texas, these records can be kept indefinitely while in California it is 10 years.
Check Your Insurance Records
Insurance establishments regularly track car history using their historical policy records. When an individual acquires an auto insurance policy, the institution that issues that policy records the car model, VIN, and year of manufacture. Insurance institutions also track claims against cars that experience damage due to accidents. They have databases like CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) which contain past claims issued by assorted insurance establishments. To contact previous insurers to appeal for details in past insurance documents, interested parties should first contact the insurance establishment's customer service division, and explain the reason for asking for the details.
The seeker may be requested to submit personal details in a written request to corroborate his policy history. Moreover, the use of insurance establishments to obtain car ownership history has limitations. Some insurance corporations have retention policies that require them to dispose of older records. These companies may also have privacy laws that restrict the release of records issued before coverage begins.
Review Loan and Lease Agreements
Interested parties can also use finance institutions to obtain car ownership history. Banks, for instance, maintain car records related to leases to safeguard their financial interests. These digital lease and loan files can be analyzed for car ownership-related data. To request past car loan records, interested parties can contact leasing, credit unions, and banking establishments through customer service to submit a request for help.
Moreover, a bank's record retention regulations may dictate that older records be eradicated. Privacy restrictions and the timeframe when records were issued may determine whether an individual receives car record-related assistance from finance institutions.
How Can You Find the List of the Cars You've Owned for Free
An individual can use different free methods to find a list of cars he has owned. These include:
Check Online VIN Databases
Third parties and some car makers give free VIN lookup features on their sites. These tools may provide data about the car's original model specifications and internal apparatus.
Use Government or Insurance Databases
Another free method of finding lists of cars previously owned involves VIN searches in government database sites like the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Such sites keep VIN details for legal, accident, and safety recall reasons. Insurance establishments also keep track of VINs for claims history and fraud prevention purposes.
Moreover, free reports through VIN lookups in third-party sites, insurance establishments, and government sites may not provide a complete ownership history. Free tools may offer data concerning car specifications and safety recalls. Paid lookup tools, though, offer more details like odometer readings, accident records, title history, and maintenance and ownership records.
Check Your Personal Records
Individuals can peruse personal records like tax records, old car titles, maintenance and service records, past insurance documents, and email storage data for old purchase agreements to find car ownership records. Moreover, this is an unreliable method of finding a list of cars one owned in the past as these records may have been misplaced. Using finance institution records may also not yield the desired outcome due to outdated databases and incomplete records due to privacy restrictions.
Search Online Public Records
There are also free public records databases that maintain limited car history data. For instance, the NICB's VINCheck® offers free checks for stolen cars and salvage records. This feature reveals potential problems but does not provide a full car ownership history. Numerous scam sites promise "free" VIN lookups but demand a fee for additional data.
How To Track the Cars You Used to Own Without a VIN
Many car owners lose track of their vehicles' VIN details due to digital data or paperwork misplacement or loss when scrapping or selling these automobiles. Finding a car without the VIN (vehicle identification number) may be challenging but is not impossible. This can be achieved through consulting past buyers, using license plates, or examining dealership records.
Use License Plate Numbers Instead
Some states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Arizona permit license plate-based lookups. State DMV records in New York, Pennsylvania, and Arizona could be used to connect a license plate number to a car's VIN through their respective sites:
Contact Dealerships and Previous Buyers
The interested party can contact the dealerships where the automobile was last sold or serviced. The dealership may require proof of identity to share facts. Moreover, if the automobile was sold privately, privacy policies may hinder dealers from revealing ownership details. If the interested party has the private owner's personal contacts they could simply contact them.
Tracking previous car ownership is important for many reasons. These include investigating potential ownership concerns like stolen car reports and salvage titles, and determining insurance risk. Interested parties can use various methods to obtain car ownership history. These include unofficial methods like online databases and personal records and official techniques like the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles).
An individual can use different free methods to find a list of cars he has owned. These include checking online VIN databases, personal records, and through government or insurance databases. Free reports through VIN lookups in third-party sites, insurance establishments, and government sites may not provide complete ownership history like paid lookup tools that offer more details like odometer readings, accident records, title history, and maintenance and ownership records.