Bumper and Carfax both use a vehicle identification number (VIN) to generate a used car history report, but they charge differently: Bumper subscriptions start at $27.99 a month, while Carfax charges $49.99 for a single report (official prices checked October 9, 2026). Price is only part of the choice: Carfax emphasizes service records, Bumper is on the US Department of Justice list of approved National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) providers, and EpicVIN offers a third option with a 3-day trial for $1.
Already have the VIN? Run a free VIN check first, then decide which paid report, if any, you need.
What Is Bumper, and How Does Its VIN Check Work?
Bumper is a vehicle history service at Bumper.com built on a subscription business model. Instead of buying one report at a time, you pay a recurring monthly fee to look up vehicles under your plan. The company describes its data sources as official public records, government sources and trusted industry partners. Its advertised features include title information from NMVTIS, recall and warranty information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), market value estimates and AI-generated summaries.
Its status as an approved NMVTIS provider is an important distinction. The Department of Justice lists Bumper.com among consumer providers, alongside BeenVerified.com, which appears in our separate BeenVerified comparison.
NMVTIS receives title, brand and odometer information from state departments of motor vehicles (DMVs), plus total-loss and salvage records from insurers and junk and salvage yards. That can reveal a salvage, junk, flood or rebuilt designation when the source reported it. A Bumper VIN check retrieves available information for a 17-character VIN; detailed access requires payment.
Bumper and Carfax Pricing (Checked October 2026)
A month of Bumper costs less upfront than one Carfax report, but automatic renewal matters. Compare total charges, not just introductory prices.
Service | How you pay | Price on official pages, October 9, 2026 |
| Carfax | One-time purchase; no subscription | $49.99 for 1 report; $69.99 for 2 ($34.99 each); $119.99 for 4 ($30.00 each) |
| Bumper | Monthly subscription; automatic renewal | Plans start at $27.99 per month; a lower-cost trial converts to the standard recurring rate unless canceled. The public pages reviewed did not state the trial's price or length. |
| AutoCheck (Experian) | One-time purchase with 21 days of data updates | $29.99 for 1 report; $59.99 for 5 reports |
| EpicVIN | Single report, $1 trial, then subscription, or one-time bundles | One report $24.99; 3-day trial for $1 (up to five reports a day), then $49.99 a month plus tax, unlimited reports; 4 for $29.99 or 16 for $86.34 ($5.40 each) |
Carfax sells individual reports without renewal. Bumper advertises the "lowest cost per report" and cites "competitors that charge $40+ for a single report," but that is marketing, not proof of broader coverage. A subscription makes sense for multiple VINs only if you understand its renewal date.
Some Carfax vs Bumper search summaries still quote $44.99 for one report. The checkout price above is more up-to-date; confirm the rate and renewal terms before paying.
What Each Report Includes
The main differences are data coverage, the level of detail and the records included in each paid report.
- Carfax: Accident data in the Carfax vehicle history report may identify severity, the point of impact, airbag deployment and structural damage. The company also advertises oil changes, tire rotations and other detailed maintenance records, the last recorded odometer reading, rollback warnings and flood or lemon title brands. A title brand is a state-issued designation describing a vehicle's history or condition, such as salvage or flood damage. Carfax, Inc., which styles its name as CARFAX, cites billions of records from more than 151,000 domestic and international sources. Its searches cover vehicles from 1981 onward by VIN or license plate and state.
- Bumper: NMVTIS title records, NHTSA recall and warranty information, additional public records, a market value estimate and an AI-generated summary. Not every source has records for every VIN.
- EpicVIN: NMVTIS title brand history, junk, salvage and rebuilt records, insurance total-loss information, odometer rollback alerts, liens and impounds, ownership and theft records, decoded vehicle specifications and auction history with real vehicle photos. A lien is a lender's claim until a debt is paid. The advertised report includes more than 70 data points; when salvage-auction material exists, it can show photographs and a damage assessment.
Where Carfax Pulls Ahead: Service Records
The company advertises maintenance records alongside recalls, allowing you to review the service timeline. Bumper's public product pages do not list service records among report contents, so when maintenance history decides, Carfax is the report to buy.
NMVTIS: What It Adds, and Who Is Allowed to Sell It to You
The Department of Justice separates consumer and commercial NMVTIS providers. As of October 9, 2026, Bumper.com and EpicVin.com appeared on its consumer list. Carfax offered NMVTIS data to commercial customers in California only; consumers could not obtain NMVTIS reports from Carfax, DMVDesk or Experian, the company behind AutoCheck. That does not mean those services lack useful information from other sources.
For the federal title record, choose an approved consumer provider or start with a title check. Buyers can also contact their state DMV to verify title information. Neither option will explain every repair.
Which Report Shows Accidents and Damage More Completely?
No report catches every crash. Choose according to the sources that recorded the damage:
- Carfax: A more developed accident narrative, potentially including severity, point of impact and airbag deployment.
- Bumper: NMVTIS title evidence, including a salvage, junk or flood designation, even if no detailed crash narrative is available.
- AutoCheck: Insurance and salvage events combined with its vehicle scoring approach.
- EpicVIN: Salvage auction records, photographs and damage assessments where such material exists.
A privately repaired crash may produce no insurance claim, police accident report or title brand, leaving no record for any of these services to display. Third-party sources also contain data entry errors and delayed updates. A clean report means the available sources did not identify relevant problems; it does not prove the car is undamaged. Arrange a pre-purchase inspection, an independent mechanic's examination, before making a final purchase decision.
Compare findings with title documents and repair receipts. When an unexplained brand appears, consult the salvage title check guide and ask the seller for evidence.
Red Flags, and How Often They Show Up
The figures below describe EpicVIN's passenger-vehicle database, not the entire US vehicle fleet or all NMVTIS records. They are not the odds that any particular car is unsafe.
- Salvage, rebuilt or flood indicators: 13.74% had a salvage title brand, 0.21% a rebuilt brand and 0.51% a flood record. Check repairs and title restrictions.
- Odometer rollback or "not actual" mileage, the most common fraud in a used car sale: 1.08% showed a rollback indicator and 1.92% had a reading labeled "not actual." Check dated mileage records.
- Theft loss: 0.17% were sold at auction as a theft loss. This measures auction theft-loss listings, not all thefts.
- More than one state: 12.01% were listed or sold in multiple states. Moves can be routine; sudden retitling after damage can signal brand washing.
- Repeated owner changes or rental and fleet use: Check the vehicle's use and service history.
Overall, 22.63% of vehicles in the sample had at least one recorded problem under the dataset's criteria; categories overlap.
Source: EpicVIN passenger-vehicle database; 294,600,609 vehicles; snapshot dated August 30, 2026.
Is Bumper Legit?
Yes. Bumper.com is a legitimate provider listed by the Department of Justice for consumer NMVTIS data. This does not guarantee a complete history or prevent billing complaints. The main concern is an unexpected credit card charge when a trial automatically renews.
What Bumper Users Say
As of October 12, 2026, Bumper.com has a 2.4 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot based on 892 reviews. Recurring customer complaints concern unexpected subscription charges, automatic renewal and difficulty canceling. Other reviewers describe helpful customer support and successful refunds. Bumper's terms say refund requests are reviewed case by case, generally allowing one refund per subscription; cancellation does not automatically reverse charges already incurred.
How to Cancel a Bumper Subscription
The company's terms provide four ways to request cancellation before the next renewal:
- In your account: My Account > Edit Account Information > Cancel My Account.
- By phone: 1-332-225-9745.
- By email: support@bumper.com.
- Online: Use the Contact Us form, which the company says is available around the clock.
Save any cancellation confirmation or support reply. A retention offer may appear, but cancellation stops future renewals; existing charges remain subject to the refund policy. If you only need one VIN, cancel promptly after checking it.
Will a Seller or Dealer Accept a Bumper Report?
Sellers and dealerships are not generally required to rely on a particular vehicle history report provider. But critical findings such as a title brand, an odometer inconsistency or an open lien give you grounds to negotiate or walk away. That is a central step in how to buy a used car.
If a seller supplies a report, check its date, VIN and issuer. For NMVTIS information, verify the provider against the Department of Justice consumer list and run the VIN yourself. A report neither side had a hand in builds trust on both sides of the deal.
Free and Cheaper Ways to Check a VIN, Including AutoCheck
Start with two official free checks. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) VINCheck permits five searches per 24 hours from one IP address and shows participating insurers' records of unrecovered theft, salvage or flood. It is not a comprehensive vehicle history report. NHTSA's free VIN lookup identifies open recalls. EpicVIN's VIN decoder provides a free pre-check that shows the specs, open recalls and how many records exist before you pay; accidents, mileage and owners open in the full report.
AutoCheck, owned by Experian, is another paid option in the automotive industry. Its AutoCheck Score compares a vehicle's recorded history with similar vehicles, not its mechanical condition. The service advertises data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, exclusive auction data from the two largest US auctions, and insurance and salvage records. Buyback Protection applies only to qualified registered vehicles. The single-report price is listed above. AutoCheck can suit buyers who want a one-time purchase with a comparative score and auction data.
Related comparisons on this site:
EpicVIN: A Third Option With a $1 Trial
EpicVIN has more than 350 million VIN records and checks across 70 databases, including NMVTIS. EpicVin.com also appears on the Department of Justice consumer-provider list. Enter a VIN or license plate below, review the available preliminary results and decide whether a paid full report is worthwhile. The free pre-check summarizes available information, while the paid report provides the underlying records.
The sample report shows how the paid result is presented. Its example is a 2012 Bentley Continental with 28 records, including 13 accident records, three owners and a last recorded odometer reading of 18,796 miles. Depending on what exists for an individual car, sections can include title brands, salvage-auction photos with damage estimates, past sale listings and asking prices, and previous taxi, rental or fleet use. The layout is standardized; the number and kinds of records are not the same for every vehicle.
The three-day trial period allows up to five reports a day. You can cancel online through your account, and the money-back guarantee is subject to the refund policy. One-time bundles do not renew; see the pricing page for current terms.
Related guide: How EpicVIN compares with Carfax.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose by the question you need answered: maintenance, repeated title checks, a one-time score or auction photos.
- Choose Carfax when oil changes, repairs and a detailed accident narrative matter most, particularly for a car you intend to keep.
- Choose Bumper when you need NMVTIS-based title checks for several vehicles and can manage the subscription's renewal date.
- Choose AutoCheck when you want a one-time report with a comparative vehicle history score.
- Choose EpicVIN when you need NMVTIS title information alongside auction photographs and past listings, want the cheapest single report at $24.99, or want to screen a shortlist under the $1 trial.
Buying a second report makes sense when the first raises a specific unanswered question, such as a salvage brand without crash details. Otherwise, one report plus maintenance records and a mechanic's inspection may be more useful.
No clean report guarantees a sound car. Run the VIN before the money moves.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for service history, but better in one respect: Bumper sells the federal NMVTIS title record to consumers, which Carfax does not, while the Carfax report documents accidents and maintenance in more detail. For several title and odometer checks, Bumper may be sufficient; for documented maintenance, consider Carfax.
No. Its lower-cost trial converts to a paid monthly subscription unless canceled. NICB VINCheck, NHTSA recalls and EpicVIN's pre-check provide narrower free checks.
AutoCheck is the cheapest one-time report of the three, and EpicVIN's single report costs less still, at $24.99. Bumper can be cheaper across several checks; EpicVIN's 16-report bundle has the lowest listed per-report price among the non-trial bundles shown. Count renewals when comparing.
A repair paid for privately, maintenance at a shop that does not submit records, or a delayed title update may be absent. Detailed information depends on participating sources, so arrange a pre-purchase inspection.
Yes. Carfax accepts a license plate and state as search inputs. EpicVIN also offers a license plate lookup that returns the VIN behind the plate, so you can run the same report. Match the results to the vehicle before buying.
