How it works
Every number on a VIN Passport comes from the records on file and the published rules on this page. If a report ever disagrees with this page, the report is wrong; please tell us.
The free check is genuinely useful on its own. The full report adds the licensed and older records, and you see how many exist for your VIN before you pay.
Free · every VIN
Full VIN Passport
The title brand check is listed on a report only when it can actually run for that VIN, or a result is already on file. If the title database has no record, is temporarily unavailable or isn't connected for that VIN, the report says so and doesn't count it as something you'd be buying.
Want someone to look at the car? Where we have confirmed inspector coverage for the vehicle's location, a verified inspection is $299, published to the VIN Passport, and includes the full report. We check coverage before asking for payment.
No single record set sees everything. We combine title and recall checks, licensed auction and listing history, and evidence from people who have seen the car.
Year, make, model and other specs decoded from the VIN, plus open safety-recall campaigns for the model.
National title brand check: salvage, flood, junk, rebuilt and related title events (no owner names).
Photos, inspections, service records and notes contributed by owners, shops and inspectors. The newest 5 records on each vehicle are free; older ones are in the full report.
Auction sale records, sale photos, odometer readings and a market value estimate when available.
Dealer listing history with asking prices, mileage and listing photos over time.
Limits worth knowing: not every accident, repair or sale is reported to any database; older vehicles may have thinner title history; recall data is by make, model and year, so confirm repair status with a dealer.
The same six labels are used everywhere on the site, so you can scan a report in seconds.
Answered by an independent, strong source (title database, auction, verified shop or inspector).
Answered, and the answer needs your attention: a title brand, a recall, reported damage.
We have the answer for this VIN and it's included in the full report. Counts are shown before you pay.
Only self-reported or old evidence (an owner's note, photos older than 13 months).
Sources disagree, for example mileage that goes backwards. Shown, never hidden.
Nobody has answered it yet. Unknown is not the same as clean.
The VIN Grade measures how much trustworthy information exists about a vehicle. It is not a rating of the car's condition, safety or value. It is built from the nine questions every buyer asks; each is worth points according to how strong and how recent its source is.
| Question | Full points when… | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Title & brand check | Title brand check completed (clean or branded, the answer is known) | 18 |
| Odometer history | 3+ independent readings, newest within 2 years, no rollback | 15 |
| Recent photos | Recent photos (13 months) of all 8 exterior angles from a strong source | 14 |
| Professional inspection | A verified inspector or shop inspected it within 18 months | 14 |
| Service & maintenance | Several shop service records, newest within 3 years | 10 |
| Auction & sale history | Two or more auction or dealer-listing records | 9 |
| Accident & damage signals | A recent professional inspection plus a title check | 8 |
| Safety recalls | Safety-recall lookup completed | 6 |
| Title events | Title history with title events | 6 |
| Total | 100 |
The VIN Grade is not a condition grade. It rates the information on file, never the car. WIN by VIN does not currently issue a condition grade. When a credentialed inspector's report is on file, its findings appear as a dated record with the inspector's name, credential and scope; where no qualifying inspection exists, condition is shown as not inspected.
Rules that keep it realistic. Sources that disagree cost 10 points each (up to 20) and cap the grade at C. Old evidence earns less (photos after 13 months, inspections after 18). Self-reported evidence earns less than a verified shop, inspector or government record. AI reads count for nothing until a person confirms them. A title and recall check alone can never earn better than E.
Ruleset record-strength/3.0. Strength of sources, strongest first: Credentialed inspector › Verified shop › Official record › Live data feed › Verified owner › Verified contributor › Unverified contributor.
People who add evidence verify who they are first. Their trust level decides how much their evidence counts. An IP address is a risk signal, never proof of identity, and we don't store ID images.
A free account.
Verify your identity once with a government ID and a live selfie.
A verified identity, plus ownership confirmed against the vehicle's title records.
A verified identity, plus a business or professional credential we check separately.
Why “unknown” is never shown as “clean”, and the other rules every page follows.
If no source has answered a question, the report says “unknown” and tells you what to ask, instead of showing a reassuring empty section.
Each photo, reading and event shows who supplied it and when: a government database, an auction, a verified shop, an inspector or an owner.
When sources disagree, both stay on the record. The grade drops and is capped at C until new evidence settles it.
Text and photos read by software stay marked “AI read, unconfirmed” and count for nothing until a person confirms them.
The grade is computed on everything we have, for every visitor, and only moves when evidence changes (for example, when a check that runs at unlock returns a result). Warnings and conflicts are free. Win Points never affect a grade either.
If the full report would not add anything for a VIN, the free report says so and suggests an inspection instead.
