Check a car for a salvage title
A salvage title means an insurer once declared the car a total loss. Here's how to check whether a used car carries a salvage or rebuilt brand using its VIN — what's free, what needs a full report, and why it matters more than almost anything else.
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A salvage title is the most consequential thing a used car can carry. It means an insurance company once decided the cost to repair the vehicle exceeded a large share of its value and wrote it off as a total loss. Checking for it before you buy is not optional — it changes the price, the risk, and sometimes the decision entirely. (For what the brand itself means, see our guide to the salvage title.)
How to check by VIN
- Run the free NICB VINCheck. The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s free lookup flags many salvage and total-loss records reported by participating insurers. It won’t catch everything, but it’s a fast, no-cost first screen.
- Decode the VIN. Confirm the year, make, and model match the listing — a mismatch is its own red flag. Use the decoder above.
- Pull a full report. A paid vehicle history report confirms the title brand and shows the states where the car has been titled, which is how title washing gets caught.
- Read the physical title. The paper (or electronic) title itself shows the brand. Be wary if a seller is vague about the title or slow to show it.
Watch for title washing
Salvage vs rebuilt
A salvage title marks a car as a total loss, often not legal to drive as-is. A rebuilt (or reconstructed) title means a salvage vehicle was repaired and passed a state inspection to return to the road. Rebuilt is not the same as sound — the inspection checks that it’s roadworthy, not that the repair was done well. See rebuilt titles for the full distinction.
If the check comes back clean
A clean salvage check is reassuring but not absolute — damage that was cash-repaired and never reported to an insurer leaves no salvage record. Treat a clean result as a green light to keep going, then confirm with a pre-purchase inspection that looks for signs of major past repair.
Common questions
Partly. The NICB's free VINCheck flags many salvage and total-loss records reported by member insurers, and it's a good first pass. A full vehicle history report confirms the title brand and its history across states.
Sometimes, at a steep discount and with eyes open — but only after a thorough independent inspection. A salvage brand permanently affects value, insurability, and resale, so it should change the price significantly.