NMVTIS Vehicle History Report — What It Is, What It Shows, and What It Costs

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) is the U.S. Department of Justice's national title database, operated by AAMVA. An NMVTIS vehicle history report shows a vehicle's current title state, most recent odometer reading, title-brand history (salvage, junk, flood, rebuilt) and total-loss or junk/salvage-yard records. It is sold only through approved providers, typically for about $10, and it does not include accident, repair, recall or lien records.

Every state DMV page that tells you to "check the title before you buy" ends up pointing at the same three letters: NMVTIS. It is the one vehicle-history source that state titling agencies, insurers and salvage yards are required by federal law to feed — which is why the AAMVA and Department of Justice pages hold the top results for the search, and why an NMVTIS report is the baseline for any used-car title check.

This guide explains what the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is, who runs it, which companies are allowed to sell you a report, exactly what that report does and does not contain, what it costs from the approved providers we checked, and how it compares with a full vehicle history report.

What NMVTIS is and who runs it

NMVTIS was created by the federal Anti Car Theft Act of 1992; the Anti Car Theft Improvements Act of 1996 moved responsibility for the system to the U.S. Department of Justice, where it is administered by the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) operates the system day to day and contracts with the companies approved to sell consumer reports.

Its purpose, in the DOJ's own words, is to protect consumers from fraud and unsafe vehicles and to keep stolen vehicles from being resold. In practice it does that by letting a titling agency in one state instantly verify a paper title against the electronic record from the state that issued it — so a car branded salvage in Louisiana cannot quietly be retitled clean in Texas (a practice known as title washing).

Administered by: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
Operated by: AAMVA, under contract with the approved data providers.
Reporting is mandatory: AAMVA describes NMVTIS as the only vehicle history database in the nation to which all states, insurance carriers, and junk and salvage yards are required by federal law to report.

What an NMVTIS vehicle history report contains

Because the data comes from titling agencies, insurers and salvage businesses, an NMVTIS report is narrow and authoritative rather than broad. AAMVA lists its contents as the vehicle's title, most recent odometer reading, brand history, and in some cases historical theft data.

Fields in an NMVTIS vehicle history report
Field	What it tells you	Source
Current title state and last title date	Which state holds the title and when it was last issued — a fresh out-of-state title on an older car is a title-washing signal	State titling agencies
Brand history	Salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, odometer-discrepancy and similar brands applied by any state, even if the current title looks clean	State titling agencies
Most recent odometer reading	The mileage recorded at the last title transaction, useful for spotting rollbacks against what the seller claims	State titling agencies
Total loss / insurance records	Vehicles an insurer declared a total loss	Insurance carriers
Junk and salvage records	Vehicles that passed through a junk yard, salvage yard or auto recycler	Junk and salvage businesses
Theft data (some reports)	Historical theft indicators where available	State and insurer feeds

What it does not contain

NMVTIS is a title database, not a claims or service database. If an event never touched a title, an insurer's total-loss file or a salvage yard's inventory, it is not in NMVTIS. That excludes most of what people expect from a "full history":

Accidents that were repaired without a total-loss declaration — the majority of collisions.
Service, maintenance and repair records.
Open safety recalls (those come from NHTSA, free, by VIN).
Lien and financing indicators.
Registration history, number of owners, or where the car was driven.
Auction sale records and photos from Copart or IAAI.
Vehicles never titled in a reporting state, and events that happened before the owner's state began reporting.

NMVTIS approved providers

Consumers cannot query NMVTIS directly; the DOJ licenses a set of approved data providers who resell the report. As listed on vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov on 4 September 2026, the providers open to the public are Bumper.com, Carsforsale.com, Carvertical.com, Checkthatvin.com, Clearvin.com, EpicVin.com, GoodCar.com, Titlecheck.us, Vinaudit.com, Vindata.com and Vinsmart.com. A second group — OneAIB.com, add123.com, CARFAX.com, Vitu.com, Experian.com and Yassi.com — is approved for commercial customers only.

The DOJ page is explicit on one point that trips people up: consumers cannot receive NMVTIS vehicle history reports from Carfax, DMVDesk, or Experian. A Carfax report is built from Carfax's own data partners; it is not an NMVTIS consumer report. VinCheck's title, brand and odometer section is sourced through the approved-provider network (GoodCar and ClearVIN), and is combined with free NHTSA decode and recall data and salvage-auction records.

How much an NMVTIS report costs

Approved providers set their own prices. On 4 September 2026, Titlecheck.us (Auto Data Direct) listed its NMVTIS title check at $9.98 per report, and VinAudit listed a single report at $9.99, five for $19.99 and ten for $29.99. Expect roughly $10 for a single standalone NMVTIS report, and a few dollars each in bundles.

A VinCheck report — which wraps the NMVTIS-sourced title data inside a full report with accident, auction, odometer-sequence and recall data — runs from $5.12 per report in one-time packs, or $0 today on the trial that converts to a monthly plan. Prices on third-party sites change; check the provider before you buy.

NMVTIS report vs a full vehicle history report

Use the NMVTIS report to answer one question with authority: has this car ever carried a title brand or been declared a total loss anywhere in the country? Use a full history report to answer the rest.

What each report answers
Record	NMVTIS report	Full VinCheck report
Title brands across all reporting states	Yes	Yes (NMVTIS-sourced)
Current title state and last title date	Yes	Yes
Most recent odometer reading	Yes (one reading)	Yes, plus the sequence of readings for rollback detection
Insurer total-loss and junk/salvage records	Yes	Yes
Accident and damage records	No	Yes, where reported
Salvage-auction sales with photos	No	Yes — Copart and IAAI lots
Open recalls (NHTSA)	No	Yes, free
Lien and financing indicators	No	Yes
Typical price	About $10 per report	From $5.12 per report in packs; $0 trial

How to read the brands on an NMVTIS report

Brand names vary by state, but they map to a handful of meanings. A salvage brand means an insurer or owner declared the vehicle a total loss; a rebuilt (or "prior salvage") brand means it was later inspected and returned to the road; junk or non-repairable means it can never be retitled for road use; flood and fire brands record the type of loss; and odometer brands (not actual mileage, exceeds mechanical limits, discrepancy) flag a mileage problem at a title transaction.

Any brand in the history stays with the VIN even after the current state issues a clean-looking title. That is the whole point of NMVTIS — and why a report showing a brand from three states ago is not a database error.

Bottom line

An NMVTIS vehicle history report is the authoritative, federally mandated record of a vehicle's title brands, last odometer reading and total-loss or salvage-yard history, sold only through DOJ-approved providers for about $10. It is the right first check for title washing, and the wrong only check: it holds no accident, repair, recall, lien or auction data, so pair it with a full report before you pay for the car.

Frequently asked questions

What is the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)?

NMVTIS is the federal vehicle title database created by the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992. It is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance and operated by AAMVA. State titling agencies, insurance carriers, and junk and salvage yards are required by federal law to report to it, which lets one state verify a title issued by another and lets consumers check a vehicle's brand history before buying.

What does an NMVTIS vehicle history report show?

The vehicle's current title state and last title date, its title-brand history (salvage, junk, rebuilt, flood, fire, odometer brands) from every reporting state, the most recent odometer reading recorded at a title transaction, insurer total-loss records, junk and salvage-yard records, and in some cases historical theft data.

Does an NMVTIS report show accidents?

No. NMVTIS only records events that reached a title, an insurer's total-loss file or a salvage business. A collision that was repaired without a total-loss declaration does not appear. Accident records, repair history, open recalls and liens come from other sources, which is what a full vehicle history report adds.

How much does an NMVTIS report cost?

Approved providers price it themselves. On 4 September 2026 Titlecheck.us listed $9.98 per report and VinAudit $9.99 for one, $19.99 for five or $29.99 for ten. VinCheck bundles the NMVTIS-sourced title data into a full report from $5.12 per report in packs, or $0 on the trial.

Can I get an NMVTIS report from Carfax?

No. The Department of Justice states that consumers cannot receive NMVTIS vehicle history reports from Carfax, DMVDesk, or Experian; those companies hold commercial-only approval. Consumer NMVTIS reports come from the public providers listed on vehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov, such as Checkthatvin, Clearvin, GoodCar, Titlecheck.us and VinAudit.

Is an NMVTIS check the same as an NICB VINCheck?

No. NICB VINCheck is a free lookup of unrecovered-theft and total-loss records reported by NICB's member insurers. NMVTIS is the federal title database fed by all states, insurers and salvage yards, and it adds title brands, last title date and odometer readings. They overlap on insurer total losses and answer different questions; running both is cheap.