What a vehicle history report shows
The record types that appear in a report, and how much weight to give each.
A vehicle history report is a timeline assembled from separate data sources: state motor vehicle agencies, insurance databases, salvage and auction records, and federal systems like NMVTIS and NHTSA. No single source is complete, which is why a report combines them.
Accident history
Reported collisions that reached law enforcement or an insurer. Read severity, impact point, and airbag status together — one severe front-end hit with airbag deployment matters far more than several minor scrapes. Coverage varies by state, and private-repair or cash-settled damage may never appear.
Title brands and salvage
A branded title — salvage, junk, rebuilt, or flood — means the vehicle was seriously damaged at some point. Salvage and total-loss records are among the most important flags for a buyer.
Theft, odometer, and recalls
Theft flags come from national crime data. Odometer readings logged across events can expose rollback. Open recalls from NHTSA tell you about unrepaired safety issues you would need to address.
Run a report
To pull these records for one specific vehicle, run its VIN or plate through a report provider.
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