Get Vehicle Service History Record

The two largest and best-known providers of paid VIN check reports are Carfax and AutoCheck. In addition to basic information included with free sites, both provide any history of recalls, thefts, crashes and detailed reports on the vehicle, including a description and overall evaluation.

instaVIN Reports It uses the Department of Motor Vehicles, police records, auction records, state records, federal records, and insurance records to give you even more data and better vehicle reports. InstaVIN reports is a great budget alternative to paying for a CarFax report—check out their website.

The AutoCheck Score is based on a scale of 1 to 100. The gauge shows the score range for vehicles of similar age in the same class. If a car is above average in its range, you can feel confident that it's a solid investment.

VinAudit.com, launched in 2012, is a solid choice for a Carfax alternative. The car report provider intends to deliver reports with Carfax-like quality at heavily discounted prices. The standard retail price for a VinAudit.com report is $9.99; four times cheaper than a single Carfax ($39.99).

AutoCheck, owned by Experian, is notable for providing a vehicle "score" — a number and a range — such as 85 out of a range of 70-90.

A vehicle history report contains a range of information on a car, including previous owners, odometer readings, open recalls and damage, accidents or repairs. You can typically get one online or through some car dealerships.

CARFAX reports include all recorded maintenance records. Service records usually include oil changes, tire rotations, brake replacement, transmission replacement, safety inspections, and any open recalls.

Carfax reports are more comprehensive than AutoCheck — unlike AutoCheck, they include information on any maintenance or service that was reported. But all of this information comes at a cost — Carfax reports are pricier than AutoCheck reports.