Printable used-car buying checklist
A viewing-day workflow for the VIN, documents, country records, mileage, recalls and independent inspection.
Buyer guides
Check the evidence before you buy
Start with the records available for the car’s country, then compare them with the vehicle and the seller’s documents.
A VIN decoder identifies a vehicle. It cannot, by itself, establish its mileage or accident history. These guides explain which evidence to look for and where the gaps remain.
What a free VIN check can tell you
Separate vehicle identification, available official records and checks that need another source.
How to check mileage history
Compare dated readings, units and gaps without treating missing records as a clean history.
Check UK MOT history
Use the registration number, inspect the test history and confirm the vehicle identity separately.
Check a Dutch car’s mileage
Understand the RDW odometer verdict and why an imported car may have no judgement.
Check Czech vehicle history
Understand inspection readings, source coverage and the limits of unit assumptions.
Before entering a VIN
Read OdoTrace’s source coverage to see which checks are available directly and which use an official external service. Results can be partial, unavailable or tied to a registration number rather than a VIN.
Start a vehicle check · Explore the 2023 mileage data · Read the methodology