Written by ysdata on March 11, 2009 – 5:17 pm
17 years ago, Congress ordered the creation of a free National Used Car Database. Today, we have one — an online national vehicle database, although some states are not complying. Why? Some states actually sell car data information to services like CarFax. So, what’s on the National Used Car Database.
Some cars have an unhappy story to tell, such as salvage, odometer errors, or flood history. That’s why you should always do a title search before you purchase a used car. Companies like CarFax charge up to $30 dollars to tell the story of a car’s history. However, in 1982 Congress ordered that there should be a National Used Car Database where one could search online for car history information for free.
According to one consumer group, some states are against providing this information for free. However, the current stats on the National used Car Database is at 73% representation. And thanks to lawsuits from other consumer groups 100% incorporation should be on the horizon.
Today, 27 states are participating on some level with the National Used Car Database. However there are 10 states still in development, and another 14 states not participating at all. Although the data on the National used Car Database is free, some records are requiring a small fee. These matters will also be resolved with pending lawsuits, I’m sure.
Conduct a Car Search Now National Motor Vehicle Title Information System Resource Center

States that have received federal funding to facilitate their participation in the National Motor Vehicle Database are:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
State By State National Motor Vehicle Database Participation as of March 10, 2009
The Following States Are Not Participating in the National Motor Vehicle Title Database
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington, D.C
The Following States Are Providing Data to the National Motor Vehicle Title Database, but are not making inquires:
- Alabama
- California
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wyoming
The Following States Are Participating in the National Motor Vehicle Title Database
- Arizona
- Florida
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- Ohio
- South Dakota
- Virginia
- Washington (state)
- Wisconsin
The Following States Are Still In the Development Stage but will be Participating in the National Motor Vehicle Title Database
- Arkansas
- Michigan
- Minneapolis
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Vermont
- West Virginia
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