Last updated: 2026-10-08

How do I check a used car from another EU country before I buy it?

Short answer

Check three things before you pay: the VIN on the car, the papers and the advert must match; the official record in the country where the car is registered; and the history from countries it was registered in before. Official registers cover only their own country, so imported cars have gaps. A VIN history report fills them with dated odometer readings, accident and damage records and earlier registrations, where available.

Decode any VIN free, then see the full report:

What each country's official record shows

Start with the official tool of the country where the car is registered. Read what it shows and what it does not.

Country	Official record	What it shows	What it does not show
Germany	Registration documents and HU report (ADAC)	Original registration documents (Teil I and Teil II), CoC or inspection report. ADAC advises checking HU/TÜV reports for plausible mileage.	No central public lookup of mileage or history.
Belgium	Car-Pass	Odometer readings recorded at professional work on the car.	Not required when the buyer is a professional.
Netherlands	RDW kilometerstand check	A verdict on whether readings are logical.	No readings shown; no verdict for imported vehicles.
France	HistoVec	Ownership changes, insurance claims with expert-controlled repairs, liens and thefts, inspection results and mileage.	Generated by the owner, who shares it with you.
Poland	Historia Pojazdu	Inspection readings, number of owners since Polish registration, some risks recorded abroad.	Needs plate, VIN and first registration date.
Czechia	kontrolatachometru.cz	Odometer values from inspection stations, by VIN.	May not reflect the actual current mileage.
Spain	DGT vehicle report	ITV history, mileage where reported, owners, charges.	Only vehicles registered in Spain.
Italy	ACI estratto cronologico PRA	Owners, dates and sale prices, liens, previous plates.	No mileage.
Romania	RAR Auto-Pass	Odometer readings from ITP stations or RAR offices; repairs after serious accidents.	Fee and scope set by RAR.

Official pages checked 2026-10-08.

Check the documents first

ADAC advises getting every standard registration document in the original, asking for the EU certificate of conformity (or an inspection report if there is none), and never paying in advance: money against goods, with the car in front of you. It also notes that in some countries, France among them, you should check that no lien is registered on the car.

German police advice adds that for cars from abroad you should ask for the country of origin, the number of previous owners and any accident damage, and have an expert such as TÜV, DEKRA or GTÜ look at the car.

VIN on the car, in the papers and in the advert must be identical
Original registration papers (in Germany: Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II)
Certificate of conformity or an inspection report
Written statement of the actual mileage in the purchase contract

How to check a car from another EU country, step by step

Match the VIN. Compare the VIN on the car, the papers and the advert before anything else.
Ask where it was registered. Get the country, the number of owners and any damage in writing from the seller.
Use the home-country tool. Pick the country from the table and run the official lookup. Note what it cannot see.
Run a cross-border history report. Enter the VIN to collect dated odometer readings, accident and damage records and earlier registrations from other countries where available. See the Carlytics report
Inspect and write it into the contract. Have an independent expert look at the car and put the actual mileage in the contract before you pay.

What the destination country's register cannot see

Once a car is registered in your country, your national register mostly knows its history from that day on. Odometer readings, damage entries and owners from the previous country sit in that country's systems, which is where a cross-border report looks.

Is the price consistent with the history?

Use the records you find as questions for the seller: a mileage drop, a damage entry or an earlier registration you were not told about is a reason to ask, to renegotiate or to walk away. Our guide on using a VIN report in the conversation is here: How to negotiate a car price with a VIN report.

Where Carlytics fits

Carlytics is the cross-border step in this list. The free decode confirms what the car should be. The full report adds dated mileage records, accident and damage records where available, and history from earlier countries.

Dated mileage records from other countries where available
Accident and damage records where available
Earlier registrations and countries
VIN decode: make, model, engine, year

Full Carlytics report: EUR 8.90 + VAT. The VIN decode is free, no signup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first thing to check on a car from another EU country?

That the VIN on the car, in the registration papers and in the advert is identical. A mismatch is a reason to stop before any other check.

Does my own country's register show the car's earlier history?

Mostly not. National registers hold their own country's records. Readings, owners and damage entries from the earlier country stay in that country's systems.

Which documents should I get with a car from Germany?

ADAC advises asking for all registration documents in the original and, in Germany, these are Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and Teil II. Ask also for the EU certificate of conformity or an inspection report, and for the service book and inspection reports.

Can a VIN report show accident history for an imported car?

A Carlytics report includes accident and damage records where available. Records differ by country and by source, so pair the report with a physical inspection by an expert.

Should I pay a deposit before checking?

ADAC advises against advance payments: pay money against goods, with the car in front of you and the documents in your hands.

How much does the report cost?

The VIN decode is free. The full report costs EUR 8.90 + VAT, a one-off payment.

Sources checked

Official sources last checked: 2026-10-08