3 tips to get a free CARFAX Vehicle History Report
Buying a used car without checking its history first is a bit like letting someone move in after the first date, bags and boxes included. Romantic, sure. Also a gamble.
Before the keys change hands, a few questions deserve a proper answer:
Has the car been in an accident, or does it have known damage?
Is the number on the dashboard the real mileage?
Has it been looked after and properly serviced?
Was it imported?
Finding an answer to all of them starts with the VIN, the Vehicle Identification Number. The VIN is your key to a used car’s history, and CARFAX can unlock it before you buy.
For our vehicle histories, we search through more than 45 billion historical records from 30 European countries, plus the USA and Canada. The data comes from more than 177,000 trusted sources.¹ And there are three ways to get that first look for free, or at least for less.
At CARFAX we give you facts, so you can make a better decision on your next used car.
How to get free CARFAX vehicle data
Three ways are worth knowing about:
Ask the private seller
Ask the dealer
Use a discount code
Ask the private seller
Chances are the seller wants to sell at least as much as you want to buy, so there is no harm in asking for a CARFAX Report outright. If the history matches what you were told on the phone or at the viewing, you have a solid basis of trust. This is the best foundation for an eye-to-eye negotiation that will make both parties feel good.
Ask the car dealer
The most reliable dealers know their stock. Ideally, they have looked into a car's background before it reaches the forecourt, and some have already bought a CARFAX Report themselves. In our experience, dealers are quite accommodating when a buyer asks for one. It is in their interest too, because they want to sell cars in good condition.
If a dealer won't give you the VIN, though, be wary.
Looking at the vehicle history before you buy can protect you from costly mistakes. So don't be afraid to ask the seller or dealer for the CARFAX Report. If they refuse or provide a questionable document as an alternative, you should take the offer with a grain of salt.
Use a discount code
Automotive creators who partner with CARFAX also share discount codes for the CARFAX Report. A code won't make the report free, but it does bring the price down.
Always free: the availability check
Before you spend a cent, enter the VIN on our website and see whether we hold any information on the car. The check is free, and it also shows how many entries our database has for that vehicle. If the availability check shows nothing, you have saved yourself the money.
And if you are not satisfied with your report, our 30-day money-back guarantee applies.
A closer look at CARFAX data across Europe
50% of cars checked in Italy have recorded damage.²
Half. That’s a coin flip, and it means a recorded damage is far more normal than most buyers expect. What matters is what kind of damage it was: a parking-lot scrape and a hard front-end hit are very different stories. Where data is available, the CARFAX Report shows the affected areas, damage severity and an estimated repair cost, so you know what to ask about and what proof to ask for.
12.9% of cars registered in Spain failed their last technical inspection.³
A technical inspection captures the condition of a car on the day it takes place. Where inspection results are available in the CARFAX Report, you can follow that story over time instead of reading one page of it.
Import history matters too
54% of the vehicles in operation in Poland are imported.⁴
In Poland, cars with a foreign past are very common. And that past often sits in someone else’s records: another country’s register, another country’s inspections. Where import data is available, the CARFAX Report shows which country the car was registered in and what was documented there.
¹ The statistics presented refer to the CARFAX brand as a whole and not necessarily to a specific legal entity. They do not apply to every individual CARFAX Report.
² Source: CARFAX reports sold in Italy in 2026 (data updated to August 2026).
³ Source: CARFAX database analysis, September 2026.
⁵ Source: CARFAX database analysis, July 2026.