Is the NICB VIN check free?

Yes. NICB VINCheck is free to use, with a limit on the number of searches per day.

How many NICB VIN checks can I do?

At the time of writing, NICB allows five searches in a 24-hour period. Check nicb.org for the current limit.

Does NICB VINCheck show accidents?

No. It only shows unrecovered theft and insurer salvage records. Accidents, title brands and odometer readings are in a vehicle history report.

What does it mean if NICB shows a salvage record?

A participating insurer declared the vehicle a total loss. It may have been repaired since. Check the title brand and repair history before buying.

NICB VIN Check: What It Covers and What It Misses

NICB VINCheck explained: free theft and salvage screening

The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck is a free lookup that tells you whether a vehicle was reported stolen and not recovered, or declared a salvage total loss, by participating insurers. Here is how to use it and what it leaves out.

What NICB VINCheck shows

The NICB is a non-profit organization funded by insurance companies to fight insurance fraud and vehicle theft. Its VINCheck service searches records submitted by participating member insurers and answers two questions:

Theft: has the vehicle been reported stolen and not recovered?
Salvage: has a participating insurer declared the vehicle a total loss, for example after a crash or a flood?

How to use it

Go to the official NICB VINCheck page.
Enter the 17-character VIN, accept the terms and complete the security check.
Read the result. “No records” means none of the participating insurers reported a theft or salvage record for that VIN.

VINCheck is free, but NICB limits how many searches you can run. At the time of writing it allows five searches in a 24-hour period.

What it does not cover

Only records from participating insurers. Uninsured losses and thefts never reported to an insurer will not appear.
No DMV title brands such as rebuilt, junk, lemon or not actual mileage.
No accident records, odometer readings, owners, service history or commercial use.
A recovered stolen car may not show a theft record at all.

That makes VINCheck a good first screen, not a full history check. A clear result does not mean the car is clean.

NICB VINCheck vs a VinCode report

What you learn	NICB VINCheck	VinCode report
Unrecovered theft records	Participating insurers	Yes
Insurance total loss / salvage	Participating insurers	Yes
State title brands (salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, lemon)	No	Yes
Accidents and damage	No	Yes
Odometer readings and rollback check	No	Yes
Owners, usage and registration states	No	Yes
Service and recall records	No	Yes
Risk score	No	VinCode Score
Price	Free (search limit)	$5.99

What you learn

NICB VINCheck

VinCode report

Unrecovered theft records

Participating insurers

Insurance total loss / salvage

Participating insurers

State title brands (salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, lemon)

Accidents and damage

Odometer readings and rollback check

Owners, usage and registration states

Service and recall records

Risk score

VinCode Score

Price

Free (search limit)

$5.99

VinCode is an independent service and is not affiliated with the National Insurance Crime Bureau. NICB VINCheck details checked November 2026; see nicb.org for current terms.