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Tool

VIN format checker

Paste a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number to confirm it's correctly formed before you order a full history report.

Find this on your V5C logbook (section D.2), the windscreen base, or a plate inside the driver's door.

What this tool does — and doesn't — check

This is a free, instant structural check: it confirms the VIN is 17 characters and uses only letters and numbers permitted in a real VIN (the letters I, O and Q are never used, to avoid confusion with 1 and 0).

It does not look up the vehicle's actual history. For that you need a full HPI/finance check, which covers outstanding finance, previous write-off status, mileage discrepancies, stolen markers and plate changes — see our HPI check guide.

This format checker runs entirely in your browser — no VIN you enter here is stored or transmitted anywhere.

Free tax & MOT status check (real DVLA data)

Enter a UK number plate to pull live tax and MOT status straight from the DVLA — no VIN needed for this one.

Data comes directly from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. My VanFinance doesn't store the registration numbers you look up here.