Vehicle Car History Report – Autocheck vs Carfax

Updated: Jan 2022

Checking the car history report can help you know exactly what the vehicle has been through, which will give you a better idea of what to expect. The vehicle history report may expose some serious problems or concerns that can prevent you from buying a lemon.

This is incredibly important for anyone who is planning to buy a used or even a certified pre-owned vehicle. There are numerous options you can turn to for this information, so many people ask us which is the best vehicle history report. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at two of the popular options: Autocheck vs. Carfax.

What Are Vehicle History Reports For?

Before comparing the most popular two car history reports, it’s important to understand what they’re good for and what their limitations are.

One of the primary reasons people use vehicle history reports is to find out if the vehicle you’re considering has a “branded” title. Branding means an insurance company has declared the vehicle a total loss and given it a salvage title. This means the vehicle has been involved in a very serious accident, flood, or some other catastrophic situation.

If a vehicle has a salvage or junk title, that’s definitely something you should know about. It doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t buy the vehicle, but you should put some serious thought into it.

If a vehicle has a salvage or junk title, you should be able to get an unbelievable deal for it. Never pay full price for a salvage vehicle compared to what similar vehicles sell for, since that kind of a past reduces the chance that your car will last for a long time.

The vehicle’s history should also include information about when and where the vehicle was sold and registered, which will give you a glimpse into its past. Even beyond the title information, you should be able to learn about the vehicle’s accident history, service history, and any potential issues with mileage rollbacks. When you get a car history report from a leader in the industry, it should include a whole bunch of great information.

How Do Car History Reports Work?

Before you can pull a car’s history report, you’ll need the vehicle identification number (VIN). As a side note here, some people call this the “VIN number,” but the inclusion of “number” is redundant since it’s already covered by the acronym VIN.

You will still get plenty of results online if you search for “VIN number,” but we recommend that you get into the habit of simply calling it the VIN. If that phrase ever comes up in your conversations at the dealership, using it correctly will demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about.

The VIN is a number that’s 17 digits long, and it is to your car what your social security number is to you: a unique reference key. In other words, no two vehicles have the same VIN. Every major event throughout the entire life of a vehicle is recorded along with the VIN. This creates a log of dates and information that can be incredibly helpful to know about before you purchase the vehicle.

The vehicle history report uses the VIN to find a complete summary of the vehicle in great detail. You’ll see an overall evaluation, where the vehicle has been registered, and a description of the vehicle. You’ll be able to find out about the number of previous owners, accident information, verification of mileage (and an alert if there’s a high possibility of an odometer rollback), along with checks for recalls.

The best vehicle history companies may also get data from other organizations and agencies, such as police departments. This provides additional information about accidents. You may even be able to see if a vehicle has ever been stolen and recovered, or if it’s been involved in something called “title washing” where someone hides a branded title by getting a vehicle retitled in a state with lower requirements.

Can a Vehicle History Report Be Wrong?

Numerous companies pull these types of reports. No company is perfect, though, and they can only find out about incidents that have been reported to the databases they have access to. For example, if someone hides a small accident from their insurance and never reports it to anyone, there would be no way for the vehicle history report company to find out about it. The same is true if a vehicle gets worked on by a mechanic or body shop that doesn’t report their work to the vehicle history companies.

With all of that in mind, you can see how sometimes the reports get things wrong. Even though they aren’t perfect, it’s generally worth it to run a vehicle history report before you go out of your way to look at a used car. It’s definitely worth looking into a vehicle’s history before you shell out any money. Some reports are more accurate than others, too.

Carfax and AutoCheck are the two best car history reports by far, and we recommend using them instead of paying for any others, even if the others may be less expensive. It’s worth paying a little bit more to get the most reliable information you possibly can about a vehicle before you buy it. To help you decide which of these two options is right for you, take a closer look at both AutoCheck and Carfax.

Carfax

You’ve probably seen their commercials. “Show me the Carfax.” The commercials seem to imply that Carfax can tell you every minor detail about what’s happened with a vehicle since it first rolled off of the factory floor. While there are definitely some limitations, Carfax is a great service.

It gets its information from numerous different sources to paint the most complete picture possible. The sources of information Carfax regularly uses include all of the following:

• • Motor vehicle agencies throughout the United States and Canada
  • Insurance companies
  • Car auctions
  • Salvage auctions and auto recyclers
  • Law enforcement agencies like police departments
  • Fire agencies
  • Collision repair facilities and other car service facilities
  • Manufacturers and dealers
  • Auto import and export companies

All of this data gets compiled into a single report, giving you a look at everything Carfax was able to find. This is why you can see it all from title transfers, recalls, reports of theft, odometer readings, repairs, accidents, and more. Theoretically, compiling data from all of these agencies should be able to tell you just about everything you need to know about a vehicle.

As mentioned above, though, people are sometimes able to hide things. Someone may be able to get into a minor accident and then cover it up with some at-home car repairs. They may be able to take it to their car mechanic friend and get a quick fix off the record.

People often try to hide things because they don’t want their insurance to go up or because they know it might hurt the value of the car. Even though it’s possible to hide events in a vehicle’s history, Carfax will be able to uncover most (if not all) significant occurrences in most cases.

There’s a good reason Carfax is the most well-known vehicle history company. They’ve been at it for decades, since they used to literally fax reports to their customers. A single Carfax report costs $39.99. Alternatively, you can get three for $59.99 or six for $99.99. These discounts for multiple reports are helpful if you’re looking at numerous used cars and you want to know the history behind each of them.

At this price, Carfax is the most expensive service. It’s also the most detailed and the easiest to understand, though. Organizations like Consumer Reports and Edmunds have tested a variety of different vehicle history companies and found that Carfax generally has the best and the most accurate data.

It’s the only company to include maintenance dates and records (again, so long as the vehicle was maintained at a company that shares their data, as most franchises do). When you consider the price of a used car, the added price of a Carfax report is worth it to make sure you’re making a smart purchase.

AutoCheck

AutoCheck is an Experian company, and its most popular feature is that it provides a vehicle score. This score is supposed to be an especially easy way to compare this vehicle to others that were made in the same year. Unfortunately, the number isn’t as easy to understand as you might expect because it doesn’t seem to follow a logical range from 0-100.

For example, you might run a report and find that the car you’re checking gets a score in the mid-80s. If you’re operating under the assumption that the scores range from 0-100 based on expected quality, you’d think this score is pretty good. This is where things get confusing, though:

• • A normal range for that car could be in the 30s or 40s. In that case, your vehicle’s score in the 80s would be incredible.
  • On the other hand, a normal range for that vehicle could be in the high 80s or low 90s, so your score in the mid-80s would actually be below average and could be the result of some serious problems with the vehicle.
  • Worst of all, the numbers aren’t always clearly explained, so you might not know why your vehicle’s score is above or below the typical range for similar vehicles.

Even though the vehicle score isn’t as helpful as it seems like it should be, it might still help if you’re comparing a lot of vehicles that are the same make, model, and year. Otherwise, we recommend ignoring the score, for the most part, focusing instead on the other information in your report. The other nice thing about AutoCheck is that it’s more affordable than Carfax.

A single AutoCheck report is only $24.99. If you want multiple reports, the price starts to become even more affordable in a hurry. You can get 25 reports in 21 days for only $49.99. If that still isn’t enough, you’re able to get 300 reports over the course of 21 days for $99.99.

AutoCheck Vs. Carfax: What Is the Best Vehicle History Report?

All things considered, it seems like Carfax is significantly better than AutoCheck. It’s more expensive because it has more name recognition and more people know about it compared to AutoCheck. It’s also more expensive because it can give drivers more information and superior accuracy. If you want to get the best vehicle history report you possibly can, pay a few extra dollars for Carfax.

If your budget is tight and you’re thinking about skipping the history report, it’s better to go with AutoCheck instead. The normal consensus is that AutoCheck isn’t quite as complete as Carfax, it’s still better than nothing. There are other reports out there, but we don’t recommend them.

For example, some people turn to the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) reports. These reports are normally priced at about $10, and even that might be a waste of money. Some of the reports are free, and in that case, it can’t hurt to look. You might be able to find out if your vehicle has a branded title, or you can use it as a backup history report, but we’d recommend saving money for AutoCheck or ideally Carfax before spending it on NMVTIS.

What Else Can I Do Before Buying a Used Car?

If a car history report just isn’t in your budget and there’s nothing you can do about it (or if you’re not 100% confident in your report and want to take extra precautions), there are other things you can do. Here are just a few things we recommend before buying a used vehicle, regardless of whether or not you have the report:

Focus on the test drive

Know what to look for, and inspect the whole vehicle for signs of water damage and bodywork. As you take the test drive, turn the radio off and listen for unusual noises.

Get the vehicle inspected

Unless you’re a mechanic, you probably aren’t qualified to be the best judge of a vehicle’s quality.

Check the vehicle title

Verify the odometer statement against the actual readout in the vehicle itself. Inspect the document and look for any indication that it’s a branded title, that the vehicle has been repurchased under a Lemon Law program, been in flood, or had other serious problems.

Read the disclosures

We know paperwork is no fun, but it’s worth the effort.

Can I Get a Vehicle History Report for Free?

You can do some research on your own for free. For example, you may be able to look up the vehicle’s VIN with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to see if there are any open recalls. Free VIN decoders online will also be able to give you some basic information about where your vehicle was made and other general facts like that, but the information won’t be nearly as useful as a proper vehicle history report.

If you want to get a good car history report without shelling out the money for it by yourself, you’ll have to ask the dealership for help. Most major dealerships use either Carfax or AutoCheck. You can ask the dealer to give you a copy of the report for free. If a dealership doesn’t offer vehicle history reports for their pre-owned cars, or if they use some service other than Carfax or AutoCheck, that may be a red flag. Be wary of anyone who tries to sell you a used car without running a report on its history.

Check the Car Report Before Buying

Given that you can ask the dealer for a vehicle history report, there’s almost no reason to buy a used car without one. Here at Valley Chevy, for example, we want to provide you with as much information as possible.

We’re not trying to pull the wool over your eyes, and we want all of our customers to be informed buyers who feel good about their purchases both now and down the road. It’s all part of the way we serve our community in the Phoenix, AZ, area.

Stop by today to see what we mean!

Featured Image: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock