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VIN Check Europe

Check any Europe-registered vehicle instantly. Decode the Vehicle Identification Number, verify odometer history, safety recalls, theft status, and accident records — covering vehicles with WMI codes W (Germany), VF (France), ZA/ZF (Italy), SB/SH (UK/Japan), TM (Czech), YV (Sweden), and more.

EUR 8.90 full report

14-day refund

60-second delivery

Free decode preview shown automatically when you enter the VIN.

Carlytics vehicle history report — checking a Europe used car VIN before purchase
900+ Data Sources
Including Europe government registries
35+ Countries
Pan-European vehicle coverage
Theft & Accident Check
Cross-border stolen vehicle databases

Why Check a VIN for Europe Vehicles?

Over 30 million used cars are sold across Europe every year. Cross-border purchases account for approximately 15% of all used car transactions in the EU, with Germany, France, and Italy being the largest markets.

Odometer fraud affects an estimated 1 in 3 cross-border used car purchases in Europe. When a vehicle crosses a border, its mileage history often doesn't follow — making a VIN check essential before buying.

Carlytics searches 900+ databases across 47 countries including national vehicle registries in Finland (5M vehicles), Czech Republic (52M inspections), Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, plus 830M UK MOT records.

European VINs follow the ISO 3779 standard: the first 3 characters (WMI) identify the manufacturer and country of origin, characters 4-9 describe the vehicle, and the last 8 characters are the serial number.

What Is “Vehicle Identification Number”?

In Europe, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is known as the Vehicle Identification Number (locally searched as “VIN check Europe”). It is a standardized 17-character code that uniquely identifies every motor vehicle manufactured for sale in the EU. The VIN encodes the manufacturer (WMI), vehicle attributes (VDS), and production sequence (VIS).

Vehicles manufactured in Europe carry WMI codes starting with W (Germany), VF (France), ZA/ZF (Italy), SB/SH (UK/Japan), TM (Czech), YV (Sweden), and more. However, many vehicles registered in Europe are imported from other EU countries (especially Germany), so the WMI may differ from the country of registration.

Common Scams When Buying from Europe

Odometer rollback: The most common fraud in European cross-border sales. Vehicles are driven 200,000+ km, then the mileage is rolled back to 80,000 km before export. Carlytics cross-references mileage records from multiple European registries to detect jumps.

VIN cloning: A stolen vehicle is given the identity (VIN plates) of a legitimate vehicle of the same model. Always check the stolen vehicle database and verify the VIN physically matches across all locations on the vehicle.

Hidden accident damage: Vehicles written off by insurance in one country are repaired cheaply and sold in another country as clean. The accident history may only exist in the original country's registry — a pan-European VIN check catches this.

What Data Sources We Check for Europe

When you run a VIN check for a Europe-registered vehicle, Carlytics queries multiple authoritative databases:

Finnish Traficom — 5M+ vehicle registrations
Czech ISTP — 52M+ inspection records with mileage
Danish DMR — full vehicle specifications and history
Norwegian Vegvesen — vehicle registry data
Netherlands RDW — inspection and registration data
UK DVSA MOT — 830M+ inspection records
Swiss ASTRA — type approval specifications
EU Safety Gate — European safety recall notifications
NHTSA vPIC — VIN decoding and recall data
EEA CO2 — emission registration records

How a Europe VIN Is Structured

Every VIN — whether the vehicle was built in Europe or imported — follows the ISO 3779 standard:

PositionsSectionWhat It Tells You
1-3WMIWorld Manufacturer Identifier — identifies the maker and country of origin. Europe-made vehicles use W (Germany), VF (France), ZA/ZF (Italy), SB/SH (UK/Japan), TM (Czech), YV (Sweden), and more.
4-8VDSVehicle Descriptor Section — encodes model, body style, engine type, and restraint systems.
9Check digitMathematical check digit to detect invalid or fraudulent VINs.
10Model yearEncoded production year (e.g., R = 2024, S = 2025).
11Plant codeIdentifies the assembly plant where the vehicle was built.
12-17VISVehicle Indicator Section — unique serial number for the specific vehicle.

VIN Check Europe — FAQ

Common questions about checking vehicle history in Europe

Which European countries does the VIN check cover?
Carlytics covers 47+ countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, and more. Coverage depth varies by country — we have the deepest data for Finland, Czech Republic, UK, Denmark, and Norway.
Is the European VIN check free?
Yes, the basic VIN check is completely free. It decodes full vehicle specifications, checks for safety recalls, and provides vehicle identification. The full report (EUR 8.90) adds mileage history, stolen vehicle database check, accident records, and market value estimates.
Why is a VIN check important when buying a car in Europe?
Cross-border used car sales in Europe carry significant fraud risk. An estimated 30% of imported vehicles have tampered odometers, and accident history doesn't automatically transfer between countries. A VIN check reveals the true history regardless of which country the car has been registered in.
How is Carlytics different from carVertical or autoDNA?
Carlytics costs EUR 8.90 compared to carVertical's EUR 24.99 and autoDNA's EUR 19.99. We search 900+ databases including unique sources like 52M Czech inspection records and 830M UK MOT records. Our free check includes more data than competitors' free tiers.

Check Any VIN Now — Free

Enter any 17-digit VIN to instantly decode vehicle specifications, check for theft records, safety recalls, and odometer history. The basic report is free — upgrade to the full report for just EUR 8.90.