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CARFAX vs carVertical

The two companies answer the same question for different markets. Which one helps you depends mostly on where the car has spent its life.

By Tayron Bram

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read

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Enter the VIN to decode it for free, with its open recalls. Then pick the reports you want, if any.

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Letters and numbers, no I, O or Q. It decodes as soon as all 17 are in.

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Key takeaways

  • Which one helps depends mostly on where the car has spent its life: CARFAX covers cars sold in the US and Canada, carVertical draws on registries across Europe and beyond.
  • A car only ever registered in Europe may have few or no CARFAX records.
  • For an imported car, check both halves of its life: CARFAX or AutoCheck for its US years, plus the Copart or IAAI record if it was sold at auction, and a report for the country it was registered in after export.
  • carVertical says its reports stay in your account for 30 days, so save the PDF.
  • Every history report shows only what its sources recorded. Whatever you buy, have the car inspected.
On this page
  1. Who they are
  2. Side by side
  3. Which one to use
  4. Is carVertical reliable? Is it legit?
  5. CARFAX vs AutoCheck vs carVertical

Who they are

CARFAX runs a vehicle history database for cars sold in the United States and Canada. It says its database holds billions of records from more than 151,000 sources, and that its reports cover vehicles made since 1981.

carVertical is run by cV Group, UAB, a company registered in Vilnius, Lithuania, according to its terms. Its site says it searches more than 1,000 data sources across 45+ countries, and its about page describes 37 markets across Europe, North America and beyond.

Side by side

Each column describes what that company says on its own site. What a report holds depends on what was reported for each VIN.
CARFAXcarVertical
CompanyCARFAX, Inc.cV Group, UAB (Vilnius, Lithuania)
Built forCars with a US or Canadian historyCars registered in the countries it covers, across Europe and beyond
Sources it describesMore than 151,000 sourcesPolice databases, national and state registries, financial institutions, classifieds and others, in 45+ countries
What reports listAccidents, service history, ownership, type of use, odometer, title brandsDamage, mileage, title status, specs and equipment, market price, safety ratings, natural disaster exposure
Buying severalPackages from its order pagePackages; unused reports stay valid for 6 months
After you buyIn your CARFAX accountAvailable in your account for 30 days; save the PDF
NMVTIS title data for consumersNot offered to consumers, per the DOJOn the DOJ’s list of approved NMVTIS data providers

Which one to use

A car bought and driven in the US or Canada

CARFAX is built for this. Its reports list service visits, accidents reported to CARFAX, previous owners and whether the car was a rental, lease, taxi or police vehicle. AutoCheck is the other report built on US records; see CARFAX vs AutoCheck. carVertical sells US reports too and appears on the DOJ’s NMVTIS list, so it can be a second view on the title side.

A car registered in Europe

CARFAX covers vehicles sold in the US and Canada, so it may hold little or nothing for a car that has only ever been registered in Europe. carVertical’s own terms note that what it can find depends on the country where the car is registered, and that a section with no source data stays empty.

A US car exported to Europe, or a European import into the US

Here the history is split between two places. The years in the US or Canada are where CARFAX and AutoCheck have records, and a car sold at a US auction has a Copart or IAAI record with photos of the damage. The years after export are on the European side. If you’re buying an imported car, check both halves of its life, starting with the VIN on the car itself.

0 of 17

Letters and numbers, no I, O or Q. It’s on the dashboard by the windshield, on the driver’s door frame, and on the title.

Is carVertical reliable? Is it legit?

We don’t rate other companies, but some facts are easy to check:

  • It names its operator in its terms: cV Group, UAB, with a Lithuanian company code and a street address in Vilnius.
  • The U.S. Department of Justice lists carvertical.com among the approved NMVTIS data providers for consumers.
  • It publishes a return policy. A report with no findings is returned to your account automatically, and you can ask for a return within 30 days of generating a report if it has errors or you didn’t receive it.
  • Its terms say report information comes from independent sources, including public databases, and may not reflect every fact about a car or its current condition.

That last point applies to every history report. CARFAX says the same about its own: its reports are based only on information supplied to CARFAX, and it doesn’t have the complete history of every vehicle. Whatever you buy, have the car inspected.

CARFAX vs AutoCheck vs carVertical

For a car with US history, we sell CARFAX for $8.99 and AutoCheck for $7.99, per report, with no subscription. If a report can’t be produced for your VIN, its cost goes back to your account automatically. Smart VIN Check is an independent reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, Inc., Experian (AutoCheck), Copart, IAA or carVertical. We don’t sell carVertical reports or European history.

Questions

Is carVertical reliable?

Like any history report, it shows what its sources recorded. Its terms say the data may not reflect every fact about a car, and coverage depends on the country of registration. For US cars, CARFAX’s database covers vehicles made since 1981.

Is carVertical legit?

It’s run by a registered Lithuanian company, cV Group, UAB, named in its terms, and the U.S. Department of Justice lists carvertical.com as an approved NMVTIS data provider.

Does CARFAX work for European cars?

CARFAX covers vehicles sold in the US and Canada. A car that has only been registered in Europe may have few or no CARFAX records.

Which should I use for a car imported from the US?

For its US years, CARFAX or AutoCheck, plus an auction report if it was sold at Copart or IAAI. See Copart VIN report. For its time after export, a report that covers the country it was registered in.

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About the author

Tayron Bram

Data Validation Officer

Tayron Bram is the Data Validation Officer at Smart VIN Check, with 41 years of experience in used-car sales, auto auctions and vehicle data. Tayron has checked thousands of vehicle history reports and worked with dealers importing cars from the US. At Smart VIN Check, Tayron checks that every fact in our guides matches its source, from state title rules to NMVTIS and NHTSA records, and goes back to those sources when they change. Before a guide is published, Tayron reads it the way a buyer would, looking for anything unclear, out of date or not backed by a source. Tayron also keeps the prices we quote from other sellers current, so the comparisons on our pages stay accurate.

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