US
CA
How to Find the Registered Owner of the Vehicle by VIN?
Are you looking to know how to find the owner of the car that interests you? If so, this article is for you! This article will provide you with hints on how to identify car owners by VIN in lieu of a dedicated VIN owner lookup. By the end, you will be equipped with the knowledge to make the right decisions regarding your preferred used car, especially when it comes to identifying who owns this car by VIN.
What is the VIN and Where Can I Find It?
A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique 17-digit serial number that is used to identify or track a specific vehicle. This number is usually found in three spots:
- inside the driver’s side door
- on the dashboard near the windshield
- vehicle documents like the bill of sale and vehicle title.
The VIN helps with background checking vehicles because it can be used to access a vehicle history and shed light on title, registration, recalls, repairs, and more. Moreover, it can be referenced to identify the vehicle’s make, model, and specifications. Plus, it can also provide details about past ownership and sales. All these details can be useful for looking for clues if the vehicle is in good condition, assigned certain titles due to horrific incidents, and is not stolen or tampered with.
Who Are Qualified to VIN Lookup Owners?
Normally, only authorized entities of the state, like law enforcement, are legally allowed to find the owner by VIN. This is because sensitive personal information that can pose harm to individuals is usually off-limits to the public.
Aside from the police, here are other agencies that are eligible for accessing vehicle owner data;
- DMV offices
- Courts
- Road safety authorities
- Branches for emissions testing
- Automakers
- Dealerships
- Insurance companies
- Private Investigators
What Law is Responsible For Limiting Car Owner Lookups?
The law that prohibits the careless dissemination of personal data is the 1994 Drivers Protection and Privacy Act, which aims to prevent criminals from identifying and following vehicle owners to their homes to victimize them. The law also guarantees that strict measures are taken to ensure that only qualified individuals can access sensitive information.
Despite the restrictions imposed on ordinary folks to VIN search owners, it is possible for a car buyer to derive clues from official sources to identify who owns a car. In the next discussion, we will tackle what car buyers can do to conduct an unofficial VIN lookup owner.
How to Find an Owner by VIN?
While it is not possible to directly VIN search owners’ real identity, there are tricks to uncover owner information by indirect means. Knowing how to find out who a car is registered to can be as easy as ABC. Find the registered owner of the vehicle freely through one of the two methods below.
Use car listings to VIN lookup owners. For many people, car buy & sell platforms have served as their unofficial vehicle owner lookups. The contact numbers posted on car ad posts are usually those of the owners or someone who sells on their behalf. If you call them and it turns out the number belongs to a trusted agent, chances are, they will refer you to the owner if there were questions they could not answer on their own. Alternatively, you can also ask them to hand over the call to the owner if you have specific questions that you want to ask directly from them.
Doing car owner lookup by checking documents. Wondering how to find the owner of a car in the most time-efficient manner? Start with investigating the official vehicle documents issued by official sources, primarily by the state DMV. DMV records are reliable sources because of the rigorous standard implemented by the state agency when accepting applications for vehicle registration and titling. You have the right as a car buyer to ask for these papers directly from the owners and sellers since they can serve as a basis for making an informed decision.
When background checking the owner, it is advisable to do it during your free time, so that you can devote more time to discern whether they can be trusted with imparting you with a good-conditioned car or not.
Tools that Reveal Hints on Owners:
VinAudit.com provides a comprehensive car report that can give indirect clues regarding the behaviors of past owners. For instance, if the current owner has made frequent trips to repair shops in a short amount of time, it can only mean three things: the car is of poor quality, the owner is irresponsible, or both. Also, if the owner did not know that the original parts were replaced by aftermarket ones, they may either be lying or did not pay close attention to the vehicle and its background. Both signs can point to the possibility that the vehicle is not being taken care of properly.
NHTSA Recall Check – shows data associated with recall campaigns and tells whether the owner has already tended to the concerns raised by car recalls. If the recall remains unaddressed for a long time, it can tell a lot about an owner’s sense of urgency.
NICB VIN Lookup – this one helps confirm if a vehicle has been flagged as stolen or identified with a ‘salvage’ title. If the seller or owner has not told you anything about these details, then you get a glimpse as to the type of person you are talking to.
What If There is No VIN?
No VIN? No problem! The license plate numbers always come in handy when figuring out who owns cars. Sometimes, plate numbers are posted alongside VINs on car sale ads to diversify options for buyers when checking a car. What’s more, if you have a bad experience with a car, such as an encounter with a drunk driver, you can always record its plate number and hand it over to the police. The police then will lookup DMV records to trace the responsible person and bestow the corresponding punishments for their violations if the investigation proves their culpability.
The most comprehensive Automotive Data & Analytics
- Automotive Market Trends & Insights
- Research & White Papers
- Auto Market Analytics Articles
- VIN Decoder & Lookup
