Renata Liubertaitė

New in Reports: Learn the story behind a car’s mileage with our Driving Habits feature

“What’s next?”: New feature to help used car buyers plan beyond the history check

Karolis Bareckas

Odometer fraud across different price brackets: low-cost vehicles are found to be the riskiest

carVertical provides data about vehicles gathered from more than 900 data sources. We collect all the data we can find about a specific vehicle and compile it into one history report.

We do not create the data seen in our reports – when you enter a VIN into our website, we use it to query databases belonging to various institutions, including insurance, law enforcement, and others. All of the information included in the report comes from these sources.

Usually, it takes approximately 1 minute – 64 seconds on average, to be precise! The service is available 24/7 and reports are generated automatically.

, including state registries, law enforcement agencies, service records, and other databases. Each report may contain different sections depending on the data available for a specific vehicle.

Below is an overview of the key sections that may appear in your report. You can also check a 

 to see what's typically included and how it looks.

What information is included in a carVertical report?

This section lists reported accidents, their severity, and repair costs to help you assess the vehicle’s condition. Additionally, the 

 card highlights cases where there are signs of possible accidents, such as repair cost estimations or body shop evaluations.

This section displays recorded odometer readings to detect potential rollbacks and ensure the vehicle's mileage is accurate.

This section verifies if the car has been reported stolen in various databases worldwide.

This section shows previous ownership history, including how many owners the car has had.

 (e.g., salvage, rebuilt, junk) that may signal past severe damage (for the vehicles used or registered in the US).

This section lists the vehicle’s original factory specifications, such as engine type, fuel consumption, and dimensions.

This section provides an estimated market price based on current trends to help you determine if a vehicle is fairly priced.

This section lists official safety ratings and recalls related to the vehicle.

This section displays historical images of the vehicle when available, helping you spot previous damage or modifications.

This section shows details about any financial or legal issues associated with the vehicle. This can include financial restrictions, e.g., leases, and legal information, such as the last technical inspection (and its result) and scrap overview.

This section indicates if the car was used as a taxi, rental, or fleet vehicle, which can impact wear and tear.

This section details the vehicle’s emissions rating, which can be important for environmental regulations and fuel efficiency.

This section provides a chronological overview of the vehicle’s history, including ownership changes, inspections, and major events.

Why some data may be missing from the report?

Not all sections may appear in every carVertical report. Here’s why:

Some events are never officially reported

 – If an accident, repair, or mileage update wasn’t logged in a database, it won’t be included in the report.

 – Some countries restrict access to certain vehicle data.

 – A recently manufactured vehicle or one without a recorded history may have limited data available.

Administrative errors or reporting inconsistencies

 from data providers can affect the depth of the report.

 – If no damage, theft, or odometer fraud has been reported, the report will confirm that no issues were found.

Still have questions? If you need more help understanding the information in carVertical reports, feel free to 

carVertical has many advantages over the competition. For example, unlike many car history businesses, carVertical offers one report for all countries – you won’t need to pay extra to look for data in different countries.

Unfortunately not. We give you hints to identify issues, but the report is not legal evidence. Our advice: order a carVertical report before actually signing the vehicle purchase agreement. This will help you avoid bad purchases on the used car market!

We gather data from various sources, including state registries, insurance companies, auto repair shops, connected vehicle fleets and many more.

Please feel free to send your inquiry to our 

The (online) report will be available for 30 days after the purchase. If you think you might need it later, feel free to print it or save it as a file.

After you buy more than one report, all reports you don’t use immediately will appear in your carVertical account as report credits. To use them, simply log into your account and follow these steps.

All of the credits will be valid for 6 months, so you don’t have to rush to use them.

Credits are valid for 6 months after purchase. If you have leftover credits, simply log into your personal carVertical account and redeem your remaining reports.

By default, you will be able to view the report in your app or web browser. At the click of a button, you can also download your reports as PDFs. This way, you can not only share a link to your report but also share it as a PDF document.

carVertical reports present data from various available data sources. If a vehicle has been in an accident, and there is data about it on official databases, this information will show up on our report.

However, if the damaged vehicle was serviced without contacting insurance companies, this accident will not be in your carVertical report.

This is generally true for any automotive event that may otherwise be accounted for in your report.

carVertical does not create any data that appears in our reports. All data comes from various reliable data sources.

Can you remove data from my carVertical report?

carVertical reports are generated automatically, using data from hundreds of official third-party data sources.

No. carVertical does not create or own any data, and our reports are generated automatically.

carVertical neither evaluates vehicles, nor provides suggestions for whether you should or shouldn’t purchase a particular vehicle. Our report merely provides data recorded in official data sources. Using this information, the client can decide if they’re interested in a vehicle or not.

carVertical cannot check the odometer’s reading in real time. Our reports provide odometer readings recorded by official data sources in the past.

The damage value is calculated by insurance companies in the country where the damage took place. For example, if the vehicle you’re checking has had an accident processed in Germany, the value will be in Euro. Meanwhile, if it happened in Poland, the value will be in Zloty.

If you are aware of an accident the vehicle has had, and you’re confused by the value of damages from that accident, this is most likely due to one of these reasons:

Damage valuations are usually a reflection of what it would cost to repair the car in an official auto repair center. These centers typically use more expensive parts and charge more for work.

Damage valuations are based on market prices. As a result, if the vehicle was damaged in a different country, the repair costs will reflect the prices in that country (which can be higher or lower, depending on your location).

​​If you’ve used a credit to generate a no-findings report, we will provide you with an automatic credit refund. You can use this credit immediately to get another carVertical report.

remain active in your account for 6 months from the date they are refunded. 

During this period, you can use the returned credits to check the VIN of any other vehicle and get a new report.

A no-findings report that qualifies for an automatic credit refund 

Administrative events, e.g., sales records, ownership changes, MOTs, etc. (Timeline section)

To use your returned credits to check another car, log in to your carVertical account. Once logged in, you can get a new report from any page containing an "Enter the VIN" field, including the homepage and your profile page. The system will not ask for payment and will let you use the returned credits instead.

 using carVertical’s multiple VIN entry feature.

This feature is available to all carVertical users, whether you’re a business or an individual. With just a few clicks, you can check multiple vehicles in one go – simply paste in a list of VIN numbers or enter them individually.

Once you have your VINs ready, generating history reports for them is simple. Here’s how to do it:

. This will take you to the page where all your reports are listed.

A text field will appear at the top of the page labeled 

. You can enter up to 10 VINs in this field, and each VIN can be separated by commas or spaces.

All reports should be generated in about a minute, but you’ll also receive an email as soon as it’s done in case it takes longer than usual for some reason.

All generated reports will appear in the 

. Each entry shows the VIN number, car’s make and model, report status, and expiration date.

Normally, all generated reports receive an 

 status, but some may also be refunded automatically if there are no or very few available historical records.

 buttons become white once the report is opened to help track your reports.

, you’ll see a full history report with mileage records, photos, or other key details.

Remember, all reports expire after 30 days to avoid outdated information. To get the report as a PDF file, you can click on 

 button to send it to your friends or customers.

Still have questions? If you need more help understanding how to check multiple cars, feel free to reach out to our 

About the service

Our business customers (and others who want to check more than 1 car) can choose one of our report bundles. Doing so will add a number of report credits to your carVertical account (the number depends on your chosen bundle) at a discounted price.

You can use these credits whenever you need them, within 6 months of the purchase date.

carVertical reports are available to purchase on a subscription basis for our business customers.

You can choose between 10 or 30 reports per month, and 

your credits will be renewed automatically every 30 days

carVertical offers two report subscription plans:

 from the purchase date and renew automatically each billing cycle. If you ever need more credits before your renewal date, you can enable the 

Auto refill is designed to help you make sure you 

When your credits reach zero, auto refill will automatically top them up according to your subscription plan. This also adjusts your billing date to match the refill date.

You can enable auto refill by toggling the feature on your subscription page.

How to activate a carVertical subscription

To start using carVertical subscriptions, 

, where you can select the subscription type that best suits your needs.

If you previously had an active subscription that was canceled, this page will show its details. If you want to reactivate it, click the 

Once you’ve selected a subscription plan on the pricing page, click 

. You’ll then be directed to the checkout page. Enter all required information and click 

After a successful purchase, subscription information will appear on the 

 page of your carVertical account. The blue section on this page contains the key aspects of your subscription, including plan details, total subscription price, and the next billing day.

On this page, you can also edit your payment information, enable auto refill by activating the toggle button, and cancel or reactivate your subscription.

Updating your payment details is quick and straightforward:

 page in your carVertical account. Under 

Here, you can add, update, or remove your payment method as needed.

You can cancel your subscription with no penalties. Simply go to the 

Your credits will remain valid until the next billing date.

Still have questions? If you need more help understanding how the carVertical subscription works, feel free to reach out to our 

Yes! Business clients can pay via bank transfer by using a proforma invoice. Here’s how it works:

Choose "bank transfer (proforma invoice)" as the payment method.

Fill out the company details for the proforma invoice and enter your email address.

You will receive a proforma invoice to your email address with all the necessary information to make the payment.

Note: Depending on your bank, the payment can take 1-2 working days to go through.

We can provide you with a customized package proposal. Please feel free to 

After you select a desirable package and enter your credit card information, you will be asked to confirm your purchase. Immediately after confirmation, you will be redirected to the page where, with a single click of a button, you will have access to an invoice for the reports you’ve purchased.

For business clients

To get a vehicle history report, follow these steps:

Get a VIN code for the vehicle you want to check

Create your personal carVertical account (or 

Select a report package that suits your needs

Your report credits are stored on your personal carVertical account. To use them:

To make sure your account has credits, click "My account" at the top of the home page (or the bottom of the app home screen). Doing so will reveal how many reports you have remaining.

Please double check the VIN. A common issue is mixing up “5” with “S” or “4” with “A”. The VIN should consist of 17 characters – make sure you have not missed any of them.

Note: Do not worry about upper or lower case – both are fine!

Double-check your email inbox and your personal carVertical account.

Verify your bank account statement to ensure your payment has been successful. If not, try making the payment again.

If you’re still having issues, please get in touch with our 

You will be able to access your reports by logging into your personal carVertical account. Use the initial (wrong) email to log in.

Nevertheless, we recommend creating a new account for future purchases. This will ensure you get your reports both by email and in your personal carVertical account. Additionally, it will allow you to reset your account password if you forget it.

Use the password reset function in the login screen:

Click the Log In button at the top-right of the page.

Enter your email address and click Send Email.

Check your email and follow the instructions to reset your password.

Note that by deleting your account you may miss out on any new carVertical products, services, and exclusive deals. If you still want out, we’ll be sad to see you go!

Just click the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any carVertical newsletter. Alternatively, 

Unfortunately – no. Reports are not accessible after they have expired (30 days after the report has been generated).

It is vital for us to provide up-to-date information in our reports. By keeping old reports accessible via our website, we would risk misleading vehicle buyers and sellers.

If you will need your carVertical report later, please print or download it as a PDF before it expires!

To download your carVertical report as a PDF, scroll to the bottom of your report and click "Download as PDF".

To print, open your downloaded PDF file using your PDF reader app and use its Print function.

Account & troubleshooting

Credit cards and PayPal are accepted payment methods.

You will receive the invoice immediately after your payment is confirmed.

Usually, the report credits will appear on your account a few minutes after the payment is received. The service works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the credits are generated automatically. However, depending on your bank, a wire transfer payment could take 1-2 working days to process.

To receive your carVertical credits immediately, consider making a credit card payment.

You may apply for a credit refund within 30 days of using your credit if:

The report you generated has errors or discrepancies

To apply for a credit refund, email us at 

 If you’ve generated a no-findings report, we will automatically return your credit. You can use it immediately to check another vehicle.

For more information, please refer to our 

Billing

What is the Photo section in a vehicle history report?

 section in a carVertical vehicle history report contains 

a collection of available images of a car at a specific time.

 These can include exterior and interior photos, close-ups, and similar, and can come from various sources (e.g., technical inspections, third parties specializing in incident analysis and vehicle condition assessments, etc.)

Photos can provide visual proof of the vehicle's condition at different points during its lifetime, offering a better understanding of its past.

What kind of photos can be included in a report?

 section can show various historical photos of the vehicle:

: These are typically taken during a car assessment, often after an accident or major incident.

Inspection, maintenance, or repair photos

 made during pre-purchase inspections, routine mechanical checks, or during or after repairs.

you can begin visually investigating the car.

 Combined with the information in the rest of the report, historical photos can help you assess the car’s condition beyond written descriptions.

For example, if the vehicle has been involved in an accident, you can cross-reference data in the 

 sections. While the former can provide information about potential damage causes, impacted areas, and similar, the latter can provide visual evidence of the damage and repairs.

Moreover, you can sometimes spot signs of repairs, poor quality, or overlooked damage before even checking the car in person. This can help you better prepare to meet the seller or decide to avoid the visit altogether.

Why historical photos are essential when buying a used car?

 Historical photos allow you to see how the vehicle’s condition has changed, helping you identify significant changes, such as modifications or cosmetic issues, that may not be reflected in the written history.

 You can get a sense of how the vehicle was maintained or used during different periods, which can influence your decision on whether to purchase it.

 If older photos show damage not mentioned by the seller or not available in the report, this can warn about potential hidden repairs or undisclosed issues.

What if there are no photos available for the vehicle?

What information appears in the report depends on the availability of data. Therefore, if the 

 section is empty or there are only a few images of the car included, it means that there are no related records in official databases (e.g., no significant events were recorded) or this feature is not available in your country yet.

Where do the photos in the report come from?

What types of photos are included in the photo section?

How can historical photos help me assess a vehicle's condition?

Still have questions? If you need more help understanding the 

 section of your report, feel free to reach out to our 

What is the Theft feature in a vehicle history report?

 feature, or stolen vehicle check, allows you to 

check whether a vehicle is currently wanted as stolen or has a history of theft.

 If theft records are available and it has been reported stolen, a yellow warning sign will appear in the 

 section, showing the record’s date, location, and vehicle status.

 section, pay attention to the vehicle’s status, which is key information in this part of the report:

 – this record indicates that the vehicle is reported as stolen, and is likely still being searched for

 – the vehicle was stolen in the past but has been returned to the rightful owner since

 – the car was reported stolen, but there are no records indicating that it was returned to the owner or is currently flagged as stolen

Any of these statuses should prompt you to investigate further and verify that a vehicle that was reported stolen in the past has since been recovered, returned to its legal owner, and cleared by authorities.

If the stolen record cannot be fully clarified, it may be safer to avoid purchasing the vehicle.

Where do stolen vehicle records come from?

Like the rest of carVertical data, theft records are collected from 

trusted official sources, in this case, national police databases.

 We have access to international data, too, so if available, you can access information about potential thefts even if they happened in a foreign country.

By performing a stolen vehicle check, you can:

Buying a stolen car can leave you with no car at all, so ensuring it’s not reported as stolen can protect you from potential legal issues and possible repossession by law enforcement.

What if the theft information is not available in the report?

 section is generally included in reports regardless of the vehicle status. It can either indicate that a vehicle may have been stolen or that no stolen car records were found in the available databases.

However, the availability of this information depends on the country, so this section may not appear in all reports.

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New in Reports: Learn the story behind a car’s mileage with our Driving Habits feature

“What’s next?”: New feature to help used car buyers plan beyond the history check

Odometer fraud across different price brackets: low-cost vehicles are found to be the riskiest

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