Auction car VIN check: how to verify vehicle history in Europe
An auction car VIN check helps you confirm a vehicle identity and compare its available history before bidding. The VIN is not a complete history report, and there is no single public database covering every car in Europe. Each country keeps its own register, and what you can see depends on where the car is registered.
Choose a check based on where the vehicle was registered, not where the auction website is based. EU Car Auctions gathers listings from European platforms. We do not inspect or sell the vehicles, so always check the original auction listing.
How to check an auction car VIN
Compare the VIN in the listing with the registration documents, vehicle identification plate and available photographs. If a number is missing, altered or inconsistent, ask for clarification before bidding.
Where a service accepts both the registration number and the VIN, enter both. The Estonian register warns that some ads have shown the VIN of a different car with a cleaner history. A search with both numbers only returns a result when they belong to the same vehicle.
Check vehicle history by country
The table links to official services run by governments or bodies appointed by law. Some countries have more than one service, each covering different data. Many forms include a CAPTCHA, and some only work with a national electronic ID. Check current access requirements and charges at the linked source.
Partly means basic data is open to everyone and more detail needs a login. Seller provides means the owner creates the report and shares it with you.
| Country and source | What you can check | Login required |
|---|---|---|
| Finland: Traficom | Search by registration number or VIN. Technical, inspection and tax data are free; owner and history data are paid. Login through Suomi.fi requires Finnish banking codes, a mobile certificate or a European eID. | Yes |
| Sweden: Transportstyrelsen | Search by Swedish registration number. Shows vehicle status, inspection dates and the odometer reading recorded at the last inspection. | No |
| Denmark: Motorregistret | Search by registration number or VIN. Shows first registration, status, odometer reading, a traffic damage flag, inspections and insurance. | No |
| Norway: Statens vegvesen | Search by registration number or VIN. Shows registration status, first registration and inspection history. Odometer readings and owner history require a login to Your Page. | Partly |
| Iceland: Samgöngustofa | Look up the vehicle type, VIN and next inspection date. Login with Icelandic electronic ID is required; owner details are free for up to five searches a day. | Yes |
| Estonia: Transpordiamet | Search by registration number and VIN. Shows inspections, insurance, recorded mileage, registration events and restrictions. Entering both numbers confirms they belong to the same car. | No |
| Estonia: LKF | Search by registration number or VIN. Shows traffic insurance claims and cases where an insurer declared the car a total loss. Accidents abroad before the car came to Estonia are not included. | No |
| Latvia: e-CSDD | Check mileage recorded at inspections using the registration number. A free e-CSDD account is required; registration needs a Latvian driving licence, Latvian internet banking, an electronic signature or a visit to CSDD. | Yes |
| Lithuania: Regitra | Check registration restrictions such as seizure or pledge. Enter any two of the registration number, VIN and registration document number. | No |
| Lithuania: Transeksta | Check inspection validity, defects found and recorded mileage. Requires the registration number and the registration certificate number. | No |
| Netherlands: RDW | Search by Dutch registration number. Shows the number of owners, inspection (APK) expiry, an odometer judgement, stolen and export status, insurance and recalls. | No |
| Belgium: Car-Pass | Ask for the vehicle Car-Pass. It shows recorded mileage, open recalls and whether a post-accident inspection is required. Check its date and verify the digital version using the QR code or identification number. | Seller provides |
| France: HistoVec | Ask the registered keeper to generate and share the free report. It can show inspection mileage, registration events and administrative restrictions. | Seller provides |
| United Kingdom: MOT history | Search by registration number. Shows MOT tests with result, mileage, failures and advisories. | No |
| United Kingdom: DVLA | Search by registration number. Shows tax status, MOT expiry, first registration and whether the vehicle has been marked as exported. | No |
| Ireland: NCTS | Check the NCT expiry date by registration number. The number of owners and import status are shown to a buyer only during an online ownership transfer started by the seller. | Partly |
| Spain: DGT | A free basic report by registration number or VIN flags administrative issues. The paid full report includes inspection and mileage records; check the current fee. Online access requires a Spanish digital certificate, DNIe or Cl@ve; other request channels are described by DGT. | Yes |
| Portugal: IRN | A paid Certidão Permanente shows the owner and encumbrances by registration number. No login is needed; check the current fee and payment options. It does not include mileage or inspections. | No |
| Italy: Portale dell’Automobilista | Check inspections carried out since June 2018, with result and mileage, by registration number. | No |
| Italy: ACI Visurenet | A paid PRA register extract shows the current owner, liens and technical data. Login with SPID, CIE, CNS or a European eID is required; check the current fee. | Yes |
| Italy: Crimnet | The police database shows whether a vehicle is reported stolen or lost. Search by registration number or VIN. | No |
| Greece: Open Car | Search by registration number. Shows whether the vehicle is insured, in use, off the road or stolen. No mileage data. | No |
| Poland: Historia Pojazdu | Check mileage, inspections and registration status for free using the registration number, VIN and first registration date. Foreign accident, taxi and flood records can also be checked with a Polish Profil Zaufany login, including for cars not registered in Poland. | Partly |
| Czechia: Datová kostka | Search by VIN. Shows technical data, inspections, current status and the number of owners. | No |
| Czechia: Kontrola tachometru | Search by VIN. Shows odometer readings recorded at technical and emission inspections. | No |
| Slovakia: ODO-Pass | Ask the seller for a paid ODO-Pass, which lists mileage recorded at inspections, services and insurers. Check the current price and coverage with the provider. | Seller provides |
| Hungary: JSZP | Search by Hungarian registration number. Shows inspections with mileage, the number of owners, wanted status, transfer restrictions and insurance claims since 2019. Login with Hungarian electronic ID or a European eID is required. | Yes |
| Slovenia: eUprava | Search with the registration number and registration document number. Shows mileage and inspections, but not the owner. | No |
| Croatia: CVH | No online check. A participating inspection station can issue an odometer certificate for EUR 2.38 including VAT. Bring identification and the vehicle or original registration documents. Records cover up to five years of Croatian inspections, not earlier foreign mileage. | In person |
| Romania: RAR Auto-Pass | Consult RAR Auto-Pass for available mileage and vehicle-history information. Check the current coverage, fee and inspection-check service directly with RAR; do not assume the former free history service is still available. | No |
| Bulgaria: RTA | Check whether the periodic inspection is valid by registration number. No mileage or history data. | No |
Countries without a public check
Some markets offer buyers no general official online history check. In these countries, rely on the documents the seller can show you and confirm current access with the national authority.
- Germany: The KBA vehicle register only shows owners their own vehicles. Ask for the latest HU inspection report, the service book and both parts of the registration certificate.
- Austria: Inspection reports issued since February 2023 carry a QR code that confirms the report you are shown is genuine.
- Luxembourg: Ask for the technical inspection reports and the registration certificate.
- Switzerland: Some cantons offer a paid lookup of the owner name by registration number, but no history.
- Cyprus, Malta: No public vehicle history check was identified for this guide; ask the seller for supporting records.
What official checks usually miss
Registers record what was reported to them in that country. Damage repaired privately, accidents abroad before an import and mileage from countries without inspection records may not appear. A car that recently moved between countries may show only one or two entries. A Belgian Car-Pass for an imported car, for example, can start with a single mileage reading.
Compare the results before bidding
Look for mismatched vehicle details, unexplained mileage changes, failed inspections and earlier photos showing different damage. Check whether the car is still registered: a vehicle offered for sale can already be deregistered or off the road. Search the VIN and auction lot number online for previous listings. Finding no previous listings does not prove a clean history.
If you cannot access a service, ask the seller or auction platform for the missing details or a dated report. Treat an important discrepancy that remains unexplained as an unresolved risk.
Use the auction car bidding checklist for the other checks before placing a bid.
For transport information or an individual quote, email info@eucarauctions.com.
Access and available information may change. A clear result cannot guarantee that every accident, repair or mileage record has been found.
