How to Find Out the Vehicle History by the Old License Plate

John avatar JOHN C. BALDWIN | APR 14, 2021

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What did your last license plate say? Was it a random assortment of numbers and letters or a vanity plate? Vanity plates tell a story about the driver.

It turns out that regular plates tell a story too. A vehicle's old license plate can reveal its history. There's valuable information behind that alphabet soup.

Read on to learn how to do a free license plate check to discover a vehicle's history.

The Story Behind That Old License Plate

First, record the right vehicle license plate number. If a vehicle has two license plates, ensure that the front and rear plates have the same information. Try to get the registration or title to check that they match the plate number.

You can also use the license plate number to do a reverse vehicle identification number lookup. Simply provide a vehicle license plate number to start the search. You'll then have to pay a fee to start a reverse license plate lookup process to provide a 17-digit VIN.

You may hire an online private organization or visit a local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) office to determine the VIN. Once you have it, do a free vehicle history report.

Just give your VIN to a private organization to have the report done. A report includes lemon classification, clean title, and odometer information.

Also using your VIN (by way of a license plate issued), you can visit a car dealership to get a report for free. It all starts with license plate information.

Fine Plates

We here at EpicVIN just so happen to be the best in the business at turning a license plate into a gold mine of information about a vehicle.

With our free license plate lookup, you can receive a report about the history of any used car in the United States. The report has vehicle information, rebuild and repair records, traffic court records, and public records.

But what exactly's in these records? Vehicle information contains any accident history, specifications, lien records, vehicle owner's information, title history, sales records, and registration fees and information. Vehicle make, vehicle year, specs, engine capacity, and any expired registrations are included as well.

Repair and rebuild records have junk, salvage, and loss records. Recalls/defects history, accident history, the car's current condition, full maintenance history, and odometer reading report are in these records.

The most important information to pay attention to is the repossession and lien records, accident history, any hail, flood, and fire damage, and inspection, service, and vehicle registration history. You can get all of that information by way of a license plate lookup. Hopefully, the vehicle's never been involved in an accident.

When should I perform a license plate search?

While the information provided in a license plate number search differs by state, it might still be useful if you're looking to buy a car. If you're looking for information about a car you see on the road, a license plate search can help. This alternative is advantageous because you may not be able to access a VIN if you see it while driving, but their license plate number is always accessible.

Furthermore, when looking for a vehicle's history report, an auto license plate search can be beneficial. The history of a vehicle might have a significant impact on your purchasing decision. Some license plate searches will check for severe flaws and detail any title brands on a vehicle, but you may come across a vendor who does not always reveal all of the difficulties with a vehicle.

To avoid buying a stolen or damaged vehicle, all auto buyers should run a vehicle history report through a public records license plate search or a VIN number report.

Show Me the Plate

An old license plate is so much more than a rectangular metal plate. They are a gateway to a repository of all the data you could ever use to see if you want to buy a vehicle.

All you need to do is conduct a license plate search on our website. Lookup a license plate for free using our tool today.

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