carVertical history report: a good reflex before buying a used car?

We no longer present carVertical, as many automotive influencers (and even certain media) have promoted the historical reports of this Lithuanian company, each armed with their affiliated promotion code. These partnerships generally present the carVertical report as an essential reflex to have before purchasing a used car, in order to spot altered mileage or even an damaged vehicle, but what is it really?

carVertical history reports are obtained from the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), the serial number of a car or motorcycle, which is found in various locations on the vehicle or can be obtained through its registration (example). It is then compared to databases obtained by carVertical from insurers, partner garages, or even police services, for certain public ones. In all, “carVertical provides vehicle data from over 900 data sources”indicates the company. This operation is similar to American rival CARFAX, as well as other companies offering the same services.

What does a carVertical history report contain?

Obtained in seconds, the carVertical history report lists vehicle data obtained from the queried databases. This information is listed in different subsections dedicated to theft, mileage tracking, legal status, accidents, or even natural disasters that the car could have suffered.

Any anomalies will be highlighted, such as mileage recorded during maintenance lower than that recorded in the past, or an accident that occurred previously, with a range estimating the amount of repairs, but without knowing in which garage they were carried out. .

However, a carVertical history report with no defects does not mean that the mileage on a used car is real or that it has never been involved in an accident. For example, a car may very well have been in an accident without this event having been notified to the insurance company. This scenario is potentially much more alarming than an accident appearing on a history report, since it calls into question the professionalism of the repairs.

Finally, carVertical lists various vehicle configuration information, like a VIN decoder would, some free.

How much does a carVertical history report cost?

For individuals, carVertical charges its history reports at €29.99 excluding VAT per unit, but purchasing several credits at once allows you to reduce this cost by up to 47% for the purchase of three reports (47.97 € excluding tax, i.e. €15.99 excluding tax per report). The reports are then made available for only one month, but are fortunately available for download in PDF format.

In the event that a report is too poor in information, which is common, carVertical can automatically re-credit the user, who can then obtain the history report of another vehicle. If this process is not carried out automatically, it is possible to make a complaint.

How does carVertical work differently from Histovec?

Since 2018, the Ministry of the Interior has set up a free platform allowing you to obtain the history report of a vehicle before a purchase. Called Histovec, it is part of the databases operated by carVertical (it is necessary to enter the name and first name of the owner, the registration and the formula number registered on the registration document, as requested by Histovec, so that carVertical retrieves the data). However, Histovec is not as comprehensive. If it is possible to consult the changes of ownership of the vehicle, the mileage records are only sourced from the technical inspection reports and the claims only appear on the report if they gave rise to a procedure VRC (vehicle repair controlled by an automobile expert).

If most of the information provided by Histovec will therefore be present in a carVertical history report, the latter can still be more complete, in particular regarding imported vehicles. In fact, it is preferable to ask the seller for a Histovec report first, to ensure that the car you have in your sights is not already to be ruled out before purchasing a carVertical report, if applicable. .

carVertical vs Histovec: the test

We compared the carVertical report with the Histovec of three cars, all sold new in France. For the first, aged 28, carVertical was able to identify 21 mileage records, 18 of which appear to come from technical inspection reports analyzed by Histovec. For the second, aged 31, carVertical found 18 mileage records, including 15 which came from Histovec data, but the paid report also highlighted previous damage, which was not recorded on the report Histovec.

Finally, for the third car, 30 years old, neither Histovec nor carVertical informed us of previous mileage. The only data present in the two reports are those of the registration changes, with a little more detail on the Histovec side. For the latter case, the carVertical report, particularly poor in information, was able to be re-credited to us a few minutes after making a quick complaint.

Bottom line: who knows the most, buys the best

It is always good to learn more about a used vehicle and, as such, it seems to us to be a good reflex to purchase a history report, as offered by carVertical, before a major transaction . If the information provided about a vehicle that has spent its entire life in France will for the most part already be present in its Histovec report, any additional data may prove valuable. In the case of an imported vehicle, the purchase of a history report seems all the more important to us. The information will of course be cross-checked with that of the invoices provided, while keeping in mind that a clear report in no way means that the vehicle's history is equally clear. Thoroughly inspecting a used car or motorcycle can therefore reveal much more about its condition, possibly with the help of a professional. Incidentally, it may also be interesting to search for the VIN and known old registrations of a used vehicle on Google or any other search engine, in case some bits of its past come up, such as a trip to an auction. , For example.