How to find out if a car has been in an accident

Why might a car be impounded?

An arrest involves the imposition of a ban on the disposal or use of property belonging to the debtor (defendant, suspect, accused), and in some cases the seizure of such property.

A car, like any other property, can be subject to seizure. Accordingly, registration of transactions with it (for example, purchase and sale) while under arrest is impossible.

The court or bailiffs can impose an arrest. It should be understood that the seizure of property is not a punitive measure. The main purpose of the arrest is to ensure the execution of a court decision to collect the amount of debt from the debtor, confiscate property, etc.

The car will be released from seizure if the grounds for its imposition are removed. For example, there is no need to apply arrest if the debtor has fully repaid the amount of debt.

As for the reasons for the seizure, there may be several of them. The most common:

• the owner of the car has a debt on a loan, for utilities, etc., the collection of which is carried out by bailiffs according to a writ of execution;
• initiation of a criminal case against the owner for crimes, as an additional punishment, for which confiscation of property is provided;
• filing a civil claim against the owner for debt collection, damages, or if the subject of the dispute is the car itself.

Ways to check a car for arrest and restrictions

There are many services that allow you to obtain information about a car, fines, and transactions with it. Such information can be provided by both public authorities and private organizations. The most famous state information resources are:

• service of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation;
• service of the FSSP of the Russian Federation.

In addition to these resources, information about the car can be obtained on the portal of the Moscow government (for residents of Moscow and the Moscow region), on the website of the Russian Union of Auto Insurers, etc.

By VIN code

A VIN code is a unique vehicle identifier that is known to a limited number of people. Therefore, most services use it to check seizures, restrictions and obtain other information.

For example, to check using the traffic police database, you need the VIN code.

By license plate

With only the license plate information available, checking to seize the car is impossible.
However, by entering the car number on the traffic police website in the request field, you can find out, for example, about the presence of fines imposed on the owner for traffic violations. At the same time, knowing the car number, you can use the database of the Union of Auto Insurers to find out the VIN code:

1. On the website of the Union of Auto Insurers, enter the car number in the request form. The service will indicate the MTPL policy number.
2. Open the “Information about insured vehicles” tab and enter the policy number in the request form. The service will indicate the vehicle's VIN code.

How to check a car for an accident using its VIN code for free

Checking a car for involvement in accidents using the VIN code in Russia gives the most correct result. The identification code is individual and does not change. It is assigned upon release, indicates a specific car and is affixed to the documents for the car, including compulsory motor liability insurance. Number Consists of 17 characters containing information:

• about the country of origin;
• about the manufacturer;
• about the year of release;
• about the car model, its characteristics, etc.

The vehicle VIN is indicated on various parts of the car. The easiest way to find it is on the identification plate located on the front panel near the door or at the end of the driver's door.

A unified database of road accidents by VIN was created by the State Traffic Inspectorate. All online services use traffic police data. Popular sites provide information on several resources.

VINCAR

On the website vincar.ru, information about cars and road accidents from the traffic police website is supplemented with data from insurance organizations. Here you can find out information about the presence of an accident using the vehicle's VIN code. To do this, on the main page, click the “Check by VIN” button.

The generated report will reflect:

• registration history;
• was the car involved in an accident?;
• nature of damage;
• number of accidents.

Information about incidents appears within 15 days after the accident.

Autocode

Autocode is an additional service of the Moscow government services portal. It provides an opportunity for Muscovites and residents of the Moscow region to instantly check the accident history of cars registered in Moscow and the Moscow region.

In addition to police information, you can find out on it:

• ownership history;
• car characteristics;
• number of owners;
• whether the car is pledged;
• number of accidents, etc.

In order to use the service, you must register on the mos.ru website. The check is carried out using VIN (license number) and STS.

CARFAX

The CARFAX service provides buyers with the opportunity to check the history of cars imported from America. Using the VIN number, the client can obtain information :

• about road accident;
• about problems with documents;
• about the consequences of floods;
• about registration history;
• about car manufacturer reviews, etc.

Free checks are not available through CARFAX . The full report costs about $35. But there are many sites on the Internet that buy information in bulk. They provide information at cheaper prices.

How to check a car for arrest on the traffic police website

All data on prohibitions on registration actions, as well as the arrest of vehicles, is accumulated in the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation, because it is this government body that is authorized to carry out registration actions with cars. For the convenience of citizens, the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate website has a service for checking cars based on restrictions on registration actions.

After opening the service, in the “Vehicle Check” window, enter the VIN code. Checking is also possible using the body or chassis number. From the four check types below, select the last one: “Check for restrictions” and request a check.

If the data entered by the user matches the number (VIN code) in the database of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation, the service will indicate that restrictions have been imposed on the registration of this vehicle or that it is under arrest. If there is no such data in the database, then the user will receive information that there are no matches, therefore, the car is free from arrest and restrictions.

Why is a car accident history checked?

It is mandatory for the future owner to check the car for an accident. This is easy to do even at the stage of viewing advertisements, if you have a license plate number. Some sellers hide the real mileage or number of owners, or work in a taxi. To avoid a bad deal, you need to not only look at the description and photo, but also check all the data in the databases. Why is this so important:

• Minimizing the risk of falling into the hands of fraudsters.
• Verification of documents and the veracity of the stated information.
• Possibility to bargain well to reduce the price if there was damage that the seller did not report.
• Information about the presence of encumbrances, the number of owners and the location of the car in the theft database.
• Detection of data on the presence of accidents involving this vehicle, even if the culprit was the other party.
• Establishing the fact of using a car as a taxi.

Checking a car for an accident by license plate number is carried out in the same manner as by VIN code: depending on the data available to the user. If the seller provides false information, you should refuse the purchase.

Check on the bailiffs website

Unlike the traffic police, the bailiff service does not take into account cars, but debtors. When opening the FSSP debtor verification service, you need to enter the following data:

• citizen's full initials;
• date of birth;
• region of residence.

If enforcement proceedings are being carried out against the debtor, the FSSP RF service will provide information about the amount of debt and the restrictions imposed.

We recommend checking the car using both services, since only together they can provide comprehensive information regarding the arrest or restrictions on a specific car.

What information can be obtained during verification?

In addition to data on the presence of arrest or restrictions, the information services of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation and the Federal Bailiff Service of the Russian Federation provide other useful information.

So, for example, by finding the owner of a car in the list of debtors, you can find out some information about the collectors and the amount of the debt. This will determine the seriousness of the claims against the debtor. If the debt is significant, then the likelihood of seizure of the car is high. It is also possible that the owner has a debt, restrictions on the property have already been imposed, but the information on the traffic police website has not yet been updated.

As for the traffic police service, using it, you can find out about the number and amount of unpaid fines, previous transactions with the car, its participation in an accident, as well as whether the car you are looking for is wanted or not. All this information is also available by specifying the vehicle's VIN code in the request field.

Why do you need to check your car?

Checking a car is useful for anyone who has shown interest in a specific car option. First of all, you may encounter the fact that the seller will not be able to fully answer questions about the technical equipment of his car. Don’t be surprised, this can also happen when the car was owned for a short time, and the owner did not particularly care about it. However, the most significant thing during such a check is the opportunity not so much to find out about the configuration and manufacturer, but to obtain information regarding:

• all previous owners of the vehicle;
• traffic accidents in which a car was involved;
• all insurance cases.

The system will not hide anything; all information that will be presented to the potential new owner will be genuine, accurate, and can be trusted 100%.

Check through the traffic police website

So, if you are already eager to get a piece of reliable government information regarding the vehicle you are about to purchase, or the one you just recently bought, feel free to proceed with practical actions. Let's take a closer look at how to check a vehicle by entering only the license plate number. First of all, you need to visit the traffic police website, which already has built-in special functionality that allows you to carry out such checks.

The traffic police website has the most complete database of all vehicles that travel on Russian roads. By visiting this resource, you can easily make sure that you can check not only the car, but also:

• fines;
• driver;
• requests.

The check is surprisingly easy; you just need to first enter the region in which the car is registered, and only then enter the state number of the vehicle in a special field and select the desired option. The report will be generated quickly, all you have to do is read everything carefully.

Autocode

The special information portal Avktokod allows you to obtain accurate information on the vehicle, and you will not encounter any difficulties during the inspection. The report is generated in no more than five minutes. You will be incredibly surprised how complete the information regarding the requested car will be provided:

• history of registration actions;
• participation in an accident;
• Vehicle VIN code;
• actual mileage;
• availability of insurance policies;
• information about technical inspections;
• presence of fines;
• other.

This check can be done at home

Please note that scammers cleverly embellish the vehicle, hiding quite serious defects. Even more dangerous is the fact that such scammers are capable of selling a stolen car.

We believe that you yourself understand what will happen if the owner of such a car is later found. So it’s better to check and make sure that the car is clean than to incur financial losses later.

Other resources

The traffic police website and Autocode are not the only resources that allow you to bring all the “past” of a car to light.

Experienced motorists also recommend such services as:

• Vincar;
• Carfax.

Vincar is a service that successfully combines the database of not only the traffic police, but also insurance companies. By visiting such a resource, you can find out whether the car was in an accident, what traffic incidents it was involved in and when. The database is constantly updated, so after an accident occurs, no more than two weeks pass before information about the accident gets into the database. For this reason, it is impossible to hide the “past”.

Carfax is another interesting and useful online check that comes with some benefits:

• user-friendly interface;
• automated sorting system;
• fast report generation.

If desired, you can receive an electronic copy of the report.

Insurance companies have also created their own resource, using which they can check vehicles

However, during such a check it is important to take into account one small nuance. The database includes cars that were involved in an accident, and their owner, having received a certificate from the traffic police, visited the insurance company in order to receive insurance compensation.

If the owner of a car involved in an accident did not show up to the insurance company for various reasons, there will be no information about such an incident in the insurance companies’ database.

So, there are several options for checks, using which not only vehicle owners, but also those who want to purchase a car, can check its past and make everything secret clear.

How much does a check cost?

On the websites of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation, the FSSP of the Russian Federation and the Union of Auto Insurers, you can check your car for free.
No registration is required to use these resources. On other services you will have to register or pay for the information provided.

So, the availability of services from the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate of the Russian Federation, the Federal Bailiff Service of the Russian Federation, and the Union of Auto Insurers allows you to obtain complete and up-to-date information about the vehicle you are purchasing, whether it is wanted, check for participation in an accident, and the number of previous transactions in a few minutes without registration and for free. By wisely using the available open data, you can be sure that the transaction will be safe, and the purchased car will not cause trouble in the future.

How to check by VIN code

You can check your car for an accident for free in various ways. The best option for many drivers is Internet resources. If the information provided contradicts the accounting data, then you should not waste time finding out the reasons. The main ways to check vehicles:

• Personal visit to the traffic police department.
• Website of the State Traffic Inspectorate.
• Portal "Government Services".
• Service "Autocode".
• Other services.

You can check the VIN code for an accident absolutely free, using the resources of the traffic police. The procedure is clear and simple and does not require special skills or knowledge.

Traffic police department

You can check your car by VIN code for an accident for free by personally visiting the nearest traffic police department. To do this, contact any operator with access to the databases. Information is provided regarding specific transport in the form of a certificate. All actions take no more than 15-20 minutes.

Traffic police website

If there is no time to personally visit the nearest branch, checking the VIN code of a traffic police vehicle for the presence of an accident is carried out using the official resource of this government body. To find out the entire history of the vehicle, you must complete the following steps:

1. Go to the website and register.
2. Go to the “Services” category, find the “Vehicle check” button.
3. Fill out all lines of the search form, enter your VIN code.
4. From the options presented, select “Check for participation in an accident” and run it.

The program will ask you to enter a captcha to provide access to the database. Information began to be entered into the database in 2015, so the accident rate of earlier years will not be reflected in it. In addition, it contains information regarding road accidents recorded by traffic police officers by drawing up a protocol.

Checking through the State Services portal

This universal resource was created to optimize the provision of public services by many budget organizations. Through it you can “punch” any cars, receiving information from the databases of government departments.

But it also has disadvantages, namely the complex registration process, which involves personalization at the pension fund or the nearest post office. If the driver has already opened his personal account earlier, then just go to the “Transport and Driving” section. The VIN code or registration number of the car is entered into the proposed form. In this way, you can find out whether the vehicle was involved in collisions with other cars, whether there are any arrests or restrictions.

Autocode website

A specialized portal developed on the basis of government programs. It also provides up-to-date information regarding the vehicle’s involvement in an accident based on the entered VIN code. Today it has collected more than 35 million reports on all road accidents and offenses committed on the territory of the Russian Federation. The verification itself does not take much time, since a minimum of information is required.

Attention! The advantages of the “Autocode” service are the provision of complete information regarding the presence of a car on the wanted list, use as a taxi, exact mileage and configuration characteristics.

Other services

Other online services also offer to check a car by VIN code. No special skills are required to use, but you will have to pay for some reports obtained from the database. Services are provided by the following services:

• Vincar.
• Carfax.
• Vin online.

On the presented resources you can also find information regarding fines and theft base. They allow you to make sure that the vehicle is not stolen. If the buyer does not have information such as a VIN code, registration information or state number can be used.