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EpicVIN is an approved data provider for NMVTIS, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, a program of the U.S. Department of Justice, and every report it generates combines those federal title records with auction records, past dealer and marketplace listings, theft records, open recalls, crash records, inspection results and a market price analysis for the exact VIN. This page shows the source behind each section of the report, how often the records are refreshed and the rules EpicVIN Research follows.
EpicVin.com is on the list of approved NMVTIS data providers that NMVTIS maintains on its official website, vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov. The list is public, so the status can be checked at the source. What NMVTIS contributes to a report is in the first row of the table below.
The databases behind a report fall into several groups: federal and state agencies, auto auctions, police departments and open sources on the internet. The table lists each type of source and what it adds to the report.
| Source | What it adds to the report |
|---|---|
| NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System) |
Learn what the federal title system holds on the vehicle, supplied through EpicVIN's status as an approved NMVTIS data provider.
|
| State motor vehicle agencies (DMVs) |
Spot title problems and odometer discrepancies recorded by the state that issued each title, received through NMVTIS.
|
| Insurance companies |
Find out whether an insurer has ever written the vehicle off.
|
| Auto auctions |
Know when the vehicle crossed the auction block and what condition it was in that day.
|
| Salvage auctions |
Catch a vehicle sold as damaged or salvage even when the state never branded its title.
|
| Law enforcement agencies |
Check whether the vehicle has been in a reported crash or on a stolen vehicle list.
|
| Car dealerships and online marketplaces |
See how the vehicle was advertised before, at what price and by whom.
|
| Vehicle inspection and state inspection stations |
Learn how the vehicle did at emissions and safety inspections.
|
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and VIN decoding sources |
Verify that the vehicle is what the seller says it is and whether a safety recall is still open.
|
| Odometer readings across sources |
Follow the mileage from one record to the next and catch a reading that goes backwards.
|
| EpicVIN analysis of the history records |
Understand how many hands the vehicle has passed through and how each owner used it, never owner names or addresses.
|
| EpicVIN market price analysis |
Judge whether the asking price fits the vehicle's own history, not just its year and mileage.
|
Enter a VIN and the check runs in about 30 seconds. The free pre-check returns the decoded specifications, open recalls, odometer status and the number of accidents, sales and owners on file. The full report opens every record behind those numbers in date order, each one labeled with the provider that supplied it. Odometer readings follow one extra rule: when a later reading is lower than an earlier one, the report keeps both and flags the discrepancy.
EpicVIN updates its database daily with new records from all of its sources. Each source delivers records on its own schedule; NMVTIS, for example, receives title transactions from the states anywhere from real time to several days after the event. A report shows the records on file on the day it is generated; that date is printed at the top of the report with a note that the records may have changed since.
Reports cover cars and light trucks from model year 1981, the first year of the 17-character VIN, and also motorcycles, recreational vehicles and other vehicles that carry one. A vehicle that spent time in the United States and later left the country can still be checked for the period it was here. EpicVIN keeps separate entry pages for a motorcycle VIN check and an RV VIN lookup.
No vehicle history report from any provider contains an event that nobody recorded. An accident settled in cash, with no police report and no insurance claim, leaves no trace in any database. A report is a list of recorded events, not a substitute for an inspection. Before paying for a used car, have an independent mechanic look at it. The report tells you what to ask about. The inspection tells you what the car is today.
EpicVIN reports do not show the names, addresses or any other personal details of current or former owners. The Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), a federal law passed in 1994 that restricts the disclosure of personal information from motor vehicle records, applies here, and EpicVIN follows it. Ownership history describes each owner through the car: when it was bought, how long it was kept and how far it was driven, never through identity. A vehicle owner lookup on EpicVIN returns the history of the vehicle, not the person.
Every report has a "Notice an inaccuracy?" button. Use it to describe the record you believe is wrong, or write to info@epicvin.com with the VIN and the report section. EpicVIN reviews the evidence you send, corrects the records it holds when the evidence is sufficient and answers within 60 days. Records labeled "Source: NMVTIS" work differently: only the entity that filed a record can change it. For a title record, that is the motor vehicle agency of the state that issued the title. For a junk, salvage or insurance record, the reporting entity and its contact details are printed next to the record in the report. EpicVIN cannot delete or edit a vehicle's history on request.
EpicVIN Research publishes studies on the same records that power its reports. Every study follows the rules below and states its own snapshot date, sample size and thresholds.
Cite the study page, not this page, when you quote a figure. Each study ends with a "Cite this study" block in this format:
EpicVIN Research Team. "Study title". EpicVIN, year. Study URL.
For a general reference to EpicVIN data sources or methodology:
EpicVIN. "Where Does EpicVIN Get Its Data? Sources, Accuracy and Methodology". EpicVIN, 2026. https://epicvin.com/data-sources
Link to the page you cite, give the snapshot date when you quote a percentage and keep the sample definition next to the number. Press enquiries: info@epicvin.com.
Yes. EpicVin.com appears on the list of approved NMVTIS data providers on the official NMVTIS website, vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov. Anyone can open that list and check.
From 70+ databases: federal and state agencies, auto auctions, police departments and open sources on the internet. NMVTIS supplies the title records and NHTSA the open recalls. The table on this page shows what each source adds to the report.
Not the same set. The NMVTIS page that lists approved data providers states that consumers cannot receive NMVTIS vehicle history reports from Carfax, which offers NMVTIS data to commercial customers in California only. Every EpicVIN report includes NMVTIS title records, brand history and total loss records, plus the auction records, listings, crash records and inspection results listed in the table above.
The EpicVIN database is updated daily, and each source delivers records on its own schedule: NMVTIS, for example, receives title transactions from the states anywhere from real time to several days after the event. The report shows what was on file on its generation date, so run a fresh report before you sign a contract.
In most cases the vehicle had a quiet history: it rarely or never went on sale and no record of significant damage turned up, which is a good sign. If EpicVIN holds no record for the VIN at all, the search returns a "we don't have enough information" message and offers to email you when records appear.
No. Federal privacy law (DPPA) prohibits it, and EpicVIN reports never contain owner names or addresses. Ownership history shows the purchase year, period of use and estimated annual mileage of each owner, and the owner's state where the records include it.
Click "Notice an inaccuracy?" in the report or email info@epicvin.com with the VIN and the section. EpicVIN reviews the evidence, corrects its own records when the evidence is sufficient and replies within 60 days. A record labeled "Source: NMVTIS" can only be changed by the state agency, insurer or yard that filed it.