How to check a VIN, step by step

Looking up a VIN takes under 30 seconds at VehiLeaks. Type or paste any 17-digit VIN, hit Check, and you'll see the year, make, model and the vehicle's public summary page — decoding is free, and the full history report is available from $2.

Steps

1. 1

   Where is the VIN on a car? Find it first

   Find the 17-character VIN on the lower-left corner of the windshield (visible from outside) or on the driver-side door jamb sticker. The registration card and insurance documents also list it.

2. 2

   Open VehiLeaks and find the VIN search

   Go to vehileaks.com. The VIN search box is the largest input on the homepage — labeled 'Enter 17-digit VIN'.

3. 3

   Type or paste the VIN

   Enter all 17 characters. VehiLeaks accepts upper- and lower-case input. Note that VINs never contain the letters I, O, or Q to avoid confusion with 1 and 0.

4. 4

   Press Check VIN

   Submit the form. VehiLeaks redirects to the canonical vehicle page for that VIN.

5. 5

   Run the VIN check before buying a used car

   The page summarizes ownership transfers, title brand records, accident events, mileage timeline, current listing price, and a market-price comparison versus similar vehicles. Do this before you commit to any used car: the Simple Report costs $2, and the Full Report with title and ownership records costs $6.