Free VIN decoder Europe

Every European country keeps vehicle records, and several open them to anyone for free. This page maps the official free services — the UK MOT history, France’s HistoVec, the Dutch RDW register, Poland’s HistoriaPojazdu and more — each one checked on 27 October 2026. Decode the VIN first, then follow the country that holds the rest of the story.

Decode a VIN free

In one sentence

A free VIN decoder decodes the 17-character chassis number into make, model, year and engine without payment, and the official vehicle data then comes from each country’s own register — the UK’s MOT history, France’s HistoVec, the Dutch RDW register and Poland’s HistoriaPojazdu.

Quick answer

Decoding the VIN is free and needs no registration: make, model, year, engine and the plant that built the car.
The UK’s MOT history is public back to 2005, with the odometer reading at every test.
France’s HistoVec, the Dutch RDW register and Poland’s HistoriaPojazdu are official and free.
Germany’s KBA recall database and the UK’s DVSA checker list open recalls free of charge.
No free source anywhere delivers an accident history; an import needs the register of the country where the car began.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free VIN decoder for Europe?
Yes. Decoding the chassis number is free and needs no registration: it gives make, model, model year, engine type, fuel and body shape from the manufacturer’s vehicle code. The country-specific history then comes from each country’s own official register, several of which are free — the UK MOT history, France’s HistoVec, the Dutch RDW register and Poland’s HistoriaPojazdu among them.
What can I check for free in the UK?
Three official services: the MOT history at GOV.UK with pass/fail, advisories and the odometer reading at every test back to 2005; the DVLA vehicle enquiry with make, model, tax and MOT status; and the DVSA recall checker for open safety recalls. All are free.
Does the UK have an official free vehicle history check?
The closest is the public MOT history: every test since 2005 with its odometer reading, advisories and result. It is a service history in miniature, but not an accident history — no UK register hands that out for free.
Which European countries offer free official vehicle data?
Checked 27 October 2026: the UK (MOT history, DVLA enquiry, DVSA recalls), France (HistoVec), the Netherlands (RDW kentekenregister), Poland (HistoriaPojazdu), Sweden (Transportstyrelsen Fordonsuppgifter) and Germany (KBA recall database). Italy and Spain have no free national history register — their official reports are paid services.
Can I check a French car’s history for free?
Yes, with HistoVec. It covers vehicles registered in France and shows the technical and administrative history; the current or previous keeper shares the record. It describes only the French period — an import needs the register of its country of origin.
Is the RDW kentekencheck free?
Yes. The Dutch kentekenregister is public: registration, APK status and technical data of a Dutch-registered car are free to look up. The mileage readings from maintenance and inspections sit in the NAP, and the history of an imported car is in its country of origin.
Can a free VIN check show accident history?
No. No national register in Europe publishes accident or repair history for free. The closest free signal is the UK MOT history, where each test records advisories — the tester’s notes on damage, corrosion and wear — together with the odometer reading.
How do I check a vehicle recall for free?
In the UK use the DVSA recall checker by make and model; in Germany the KBA recall database covers the same ground. Both are model-level — they tell you whether the model has been recalled, and the manufacturer confirms the individual car from its VIN.
Can I check an imported car’s history for free?
Partly. Decode the VIN to confirm make, model and the plant that built the car, then use the register of the country where the car began — HistoVec for a French import, HistoriaPojazdu for a Polish one, the MOT history for a UK one. The receiving country’s registers describe only the period on their own plates.
What does a paid report add to the free services?
A confirmed vehicle identification and the official manufacturer recall campaigns matched to the individual car. It does not replace the national registers: mileage history, advisories and registration facts come from the free official services, and a paid report covers what they cannot confirm.

Updated: 2026-10-27

What a free VIN decoder tells you

From the 17-character chassis number (VIN) you read the data the manufacturer built into it: make and model, model year, engine type and capacity, fuel, body shape and the plant of production. Because those facts are part of the vehicle code itself, they are free to retrieve and need no registration.

For an imported car that is the first useful fact: the plant and the country of production say which market the car started on, and therefore which country’s register holds the further history.

The official free services, country by country

The table below lists the official national services that are free to use in their own country. Each one was opened and checked on 27 October 2026.

Two boundaries apply to every row. First, none of these registers delivers an accident or repair history — the MOT advisories in the UK are the closest free signal. Second, the registers describe only the period the car spent on that country’s plates; an import needs the register of its country of origin.

United Kingdom: MOT history is the strongest free signal

In the UK the annual MOT test starts once the car is three years old, and every test records the odometer reading, the advisories and any failure. The records are public back to 2005. A reading that falls between two tests, or a gap of years with no test at all, is the classic clocking signal — read the MOT history before you pay a deposit.

Two more UK services are free. The DVLA vehicle enquiry shows make, model, tax and MOT status for any registration, and the DVSA recall checker lists open safety recalls by make and model. The V5C log book records the keeper, not the legal owner.

What free cannot do — said plainly

No national register in Europe hands out an accident or maintenance history for free. Italy has no free national mileage or history register at all: the official PRA visura is a paid ACI service, and Spain’s DGT vehicle report carries a fee. Where a country is missing from the table, that is the reason.

The recall databases are model-level, not per-VIN: the DVSA checker and the German KBA database tell you whether a model has been recalled, and the manufacturer confirms the individual car.

When a paid report earns its price

Decoding the chassis number is free at Automano. A paid report adds what no single register gives: a confirmed vehicle identification and the official manufacturer recall campaigns matched to the individual car.

The report does not replace the national registers. Mileage history and advisories of a UK-registered car come from the MOT history; a French car’s papers come from HistoVec; a Polish car’s odometer readings come from HistoriaPojazdu. Use the free official services first, and the paid report for what they cannot confirm.

Country	Official service	What it shows — free
United Kingdom	GOV.UK MOT history	MOT pass/fail, advisories and the odometer reading at every test back to 2005.
United Kingdom	DVLA vehicle enquiry	Make, model, tax status and MOT status for any UK registration.
United Kingdom	DVSA recall checker	Open safety recalls by make and model — model-level, not per-VIN.
France	HistoVec	Technical and administrative history of a French-registered vehicle, shared by the keeper.
Netherlands	RDW kentekencheck	Registration, APK status and technical data of a Dutch-registered vehicle.
Poland	HistoriaPojazdu	Odometer readings at inspections and the vehicle’s insurance status.
Sweden	Transportstyrelsen Fordonsuppgifter	Registration and technical data by registration number, plus inspection history.
Germany	KBA Rückrufdatenbank	Open safety recalls by model — model-level, not per-VIN.

Checked 27 October 2026

Registration & title

DVLA — keeper, tax class and MOT status. The V5C log book is the registration document; it records the keeper, not the legal owner. GOV.UK vehicle enquiry

Periodic inspection

Annual MOT test at an approved centre once the car is three years old. Results, advisories and failures are public. check-mot.service.gov.uk

Official recalls

DVSA safety recalls and manufacturer campaigns. The DVSA database is searchable by registration; unresolved recalls block the MOT. GOV.UK recall checker

Odometer & history

Every MOT records the odometer reading, so the mileage history is public and goes back to 2005. MOT history

Does a UK MOT history prove the mileage is genuine?

Each MOT records the odometer reading at test, and the records are public back to 2005. A reading that falls between two tests, or a gap of years with no test at all, is the classic clocking signal — read the MOT history before you pay a deposit.

DVLA Vehicle Data

Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency — tax status, SORN, emissions, fuel type.

MOT History

Complete MOT test results with real odometer readings back to 2005.

DVSA

Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency — vehicle inspections, advisories, failures.

NHTSA Recalls

Worldwide manufacturer recalls — covers UK-spec cars sold by global OEMs.

Is there a free VIN decoder for Europe?

Yes. Decoding the chassis number is free and needs no registration: it gives make, model, model year, engine type, fuel and body shape from the manufacturer’s vehicle code. The country-specific history then comes from each country’s own official register, several of which are free — the UK MOT history, France’s HistoVec, the Dutch RDW register and Poland’s HistoriaPojazdu among them.

What can I check for free in the UK?

Three official services: the MOT history at GOV.UK with pass/fail, advisories and the odometer reading at every test back to 2005; the DVLA vehicle enquiry with make, model, tax and MOT status; and the DVSA recall checker for open safety recalls. All are free.

Does the UK have an official free vehicle history check?

The closest is the public MOT history: every test since 2005 with its odometer reading, advisories and result. It is a service history in miniature, but not an accident history — no UK register hands that out for free.

Which European countries offer free official vehicle data?

Checked 27 October 2026: the UK (MOT history, DVLA enquiry, DVSA recalls), France (HistoVec), the Netherlands (RDW kentekenregister), Poland (HistoriaPojazdu), Sweden (Transportstyrelsen Fordonsuppgifter) and Germany (KBA recall database). Italy and Spain have no free national history register — their official reports are paid services.

Can I check a French car’s history for free?

Yes, with HistoVec. It covers vehicles registered in France and shows the technical and administrative history; the current or previous keeper shares the record. It describes only the French period — an import needs the register of its country of origin.

Is the RDW kentekencheck free?

Yes. The Dutch kentekenregister is public: registration, APK status and technical data of a Dutch-registered car are free to look up. The mileage readings from maintenance and inspections sit in the NAP, and the history of an imported car is in its country of origin.

Can a free VIN check show accident history?

No. No national register in Europe publishes accident or repair history for free. The closest free signal is the UK MOT history, where each test records advisories — the tester’s notes on damage, corrosion and wear — together with the odometer reading.

How do I check a vehicle recall for free?

In the UK use the DVSA recall checker by make and model; in Germany the KBA recall database covers the same ground. Both are model-level — they tell you whether the model has been recalled, and the manufacturer confirms the individual car from its VIN.

Can I check an imported car’s history for free?

Partly. Decode the VIN to confirm make, model and the plant that built the car, then use the register of the country where the car began — HistoVec for a French import, HistoriaPojazdu for a Polish one, the MOT history for a UK one. The receiving country’s registers describe only the period on their own plates.

What does a paid report add to the free services?

A confirmed vehicle identification and the official manufacturer recall campaigns matched to the individual car. It does not replace the national registers: mileage history, advisories and registration facts come from the free official services, and a paid report covers what they cannot confirm.