Check with CARFAX if your future used car has been imported.
The used car you like looks like a great deal, but you don’t trust the details provided by the seller? CARFAX offers you a free import check. All you need to do is enter the vehicle’s VIN in the provided search box and leave the rest to us.
An import check will let you know you if the vehicle you are about to purchase has ever been registered in another country and therefore is an imported car. It’s important to check this because if the vehicle has been imported, it can be difficult to trace its history back further than when it was first registered in your country.
A free import check with CARFAX is very easy. Just follow these simple steps:
Enter the VIN of the car you would like to check in the search box above.
Once you click “Search” you will land on a different page, where you can find information like number of records and make and model of the vehicle you searched for. We call this “identity check” because it helps you verify the data provided by the seller. To be more precise, if the VIN of the car you are about to buy doesn’t match with the data we show, then something is wrong and buying a vehicle history report is advisable.
View the import history of the vehicle. You can see this by checking at the bottom of the page:
✔️ If there are any entries for world
✔️ If there are any entries for USA
If the VIN you entered only has records from your country, there is a very high probability your car has never been in another country. On the other hand, if we do have records from any country of the world, you can be 100 % sure that the vehicle has been imported.
Fraud is still being committed with imported cars, therefore it’s important to check the used car that you are interested in. Imported car fraud is something that has been going on for quite some time, but many people aren’t aware of how far fraudsters will go to make a profit. Thanks to the vehicle history, the used car trade is becoming more transparent, and consumers are much better protected.
A common problem when importing cars is odometer fraud. This is when the odometer is rolled back to increase the value of the car. For example, if the original odometer reading was 200,000 KM, and it was rolled back to 100,000 KM, this gives the impression that the car is a lot newer than it is. The car can subsequently be sold at a much higher asking price. In addition, the chance of future defects in the car is much higher. This is one of the reasons to check the imported car carefully.
In addition to the odometer fraud, it is possible that you are dealing with a used car that has experienced a few things in the past. It’s possible it may have been involved in an accident, has a high number of previous owners, or has a remarkable history of damage. With a chassis number check, you can find out the complete history of a car, even before it was imported.
For full peace of mind when buying a used car, make sure you get our vehicle history report for your future car. Our report checks for all of the following:
Number of previous owners
Scrapped/ Salvage title information
Reported stolen
Mileage inconsistencies
…and much more
This data will help you to make an informed purchase decision.
When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites. Targeting cookies uniquely identify your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
