Check Car
Title Status Free
Run a free VIN title check to find salvage, rebuilt, flood, and lemon law buyback brands — plus stolen vehicle flags. Instant, no signup.
Vehicle Title Brands Explained
Every US vehicle has a title issued by the state where it is registered. Title brands are stamps that indicate a vehicle's history. Here are all title brands and what they mean for buyers:
Insurance total-loss declaration. Vehicle cannot be driven legally. Requires significant repairs before it can be re-titled.
Previously salvaged, repaired, and passed state inspection. Can be driven but may have hidden structural damage.
Vehicle sustained water damage. Electrical corrosion, mold, and long-term reliability issues are common. Some states don't require this brand.
Manufacturer bought back the vehicle under state lemon law due to a persistent defect. May have been repaired — verify the defect history.
Vehicle declared unfit for road use. Should never be re-registered — any appearance on the road is a serious red flag.
Recorded odometer reading is inconsistent with prior records — indicates possible mileage tampering.
Claimed as a partial loss by an insurer — damage was repaired but the total was below the salvage threshold.
No title brands found in available records. Still verify with a full NMVTIS check and mechanic inspection.
Title Washing — The Hidden Risk
Title washing is a fraudulent practice where a salvage-branded vehicle is retitled in a state with weak title brand transfer laws. The result: a salvage vehicle with a "clean" title that looks legitimate to buyers.
Detection: a washed title often shows an auction appearance with damage codes or a salvage price — even though the current title shows clean. Always check auction history alongside title status.
Free Stolen Vehicle Check
The National Insurance Crime Bureau offers a free stolen vehicle and total-loss check at NICB.org. Limited to 5 searches per day. No signup required for basic checks.
Stolen vehicles are sometimes given a cloned VIN copied from a legitimate vehicle. Watch for:
Frequently Asked Questions
Enter the VIN in the search box above to instantly check for salvage, rebuilt, flood, lemon law buyback, and other title brands sourced from public auction records. For a full NMVTIS title history check, use the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (nmvtis.gov) or an approved NMVTIS provider. VIN Check Engine surfaces title-related signals from auction data at no cost.
A salvage title is issued when an insurance company declares a vehicle a total loss — typically when estimated repair costs exceed 70–80% of the vehicle's actual cash value (ACV). The vehicle is then branded 'salvage' in state DMV records and cannot legally be driven on public roads until repaired and re-inspected.
A salvage title vehicle has been declared a total loss and cannot be driven legally. A rebuilt title (also called reconstructed title) means the vehicle was repaired, passed a state safety inspection, and is now legal to drive. However, rebuilt vehicles typically have lower resale value, higher insurance rates, and may have hidden structural problems.
Title washing is a fraud technique where a salvage-branded title is 'washed' clean by retitling the vehicle in a state with weaker title brand transfer laws. The vehicle gets a new title without the salvage brand, making it appear to be a clean-title vehicle. Always run a VIN check to detect auction history that doesn't match the claimed title status.
Use the National Insurance Crime Bureau's free VINCheck at NICB.org to check if a vehicle was reported stolen or declared a total loss. Limit: 5 free searches per day. You can also run a VIN check at VIN Check Engine — vehicles with mismatched auction history, odometer discrepancies, or title anomalies may indicate VIN cloning used on stolen vehicles.