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Smart VIN Check

IAAI VIN report: how to read an IAA listing

IAA, short for Insurance Auto Auctions, sells vehicles at iaai.com, many of them on salvage titles. Its listings use their own vocabulary. Here is what each field means, and how to trace a car’s IAA past from its VIN.

Updated October 2026

Stock number, branch and the two halves of a listing

IAA identifies each vehicle by a stock number and sells it from a selling branch. A listing has two parts: Vehicle Information, which describes the car and its condition, and Sale Information, which says where and when it sells, down to the lane and run number and the aisle and stall where it is parked. These are the fields that matter most for history:

Field names as they appeared on iaai.com listings in October 2026. Not every listing shows every field.
Field on the listingWhat it tells you
LossThe kind of loss behind the sale, on listings that show it.
Primary Damage / Secondary DamageThe main damage and any second one, in words such as Hail, Flood, All Over or Normal Wear & Tear.
Title/Sale DocThe ownership document the car sells on and the state that issued it, for example SALVAGE (South Carolina) or CLEAR (New York).
Title/Sale Doc Brand and NotesBrands and remarks on that document, such as REBUILT or REBUILT SALVAGE, or a note of the mileage on the title.
Start CodeRun & Drive, Starts or Stationary (see below).
KeyWhether a key is present.
OdometerThe reading with a qualifier in brackets, such as (Actual), (Not Actual) or (Inoperable Digital Dash).
AirbagsThe airbag status recorded for the listing, such as Intact.
ACVActual Cash Value: the seller’s estimate of the car’s retail value if it were undamaged. IAA doesn’t vouch for it.
Estimated Repair CostA field for a repair estimate. On many listings it is blank.

Run & Drive, Starts, Stationary

IAA uses three start codes to record what the car could do when it reached the branch:

  • Run & Drive. The engine started, with or without a jump, and idled; forward and reverse gears engaged; and the steering wheel turned one full rotation each way.
  • Starts. The engine started, with or without a jump, and idled. The code says nothing about the gears or the steering.
  • Stationary. The car would not start, has engine damage, or was not tested on arrival.

IAA says none of this is promised at pickup and the car may not be roadworthy. Read Stationary with care: it covers a seized engine and an untested one alike, and the code alone can’t tell you which.

Photos, 360 views and engine videos

IAA photographs vehicles for its listings, and many add IAA 360 View, a capture of the exterior and interior that you turn by dragging with your mouse. Some lots also show a video of the engine starting. Once a car has been repaired, these images may be the only pictures of the damage that still exist.

Reading the listing against the car you’re buying

  • Damage words. A Flood entry on the listing and a spotless cabin today deserve a closer look. See the flood damage check.
  • Airbags. Anything other than Intact means you want proof the airbag system was restored with proper parts.
  • Odometer qualifier. Not Actual or Inoperable Digital Dash means the sale can’t confirm today’s mileage. Look for other readings; see the odometer rollback check.
  • Title/Sale Doc Brand. A brand such as REBUILT means the car had already been salvaged and repaired before this sale. If the title you’re shown now is clean, find out why with a salvage title check.

How to check a VIN’s IAA history

  1. Copy the VIN from the car and from its title. See what is a VIN.
  2. Search it on iaai.com. On the listings we viewed in October 2026, visitors who weren’t signed in saw only the first 11 characters of the VIN, so confirm the year, model, color and photos as well.
  3. Past sales are harder. The site is built around vehicles heading to auction, so a car sold years ago may not appear.
  4. Search Copart too. The Copart VIN report guide explains its record, which uses different terms.
  5. Add a full history report for what happened before and after the auction.
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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.

Who buys at IAA

IAA groups buyers by licence. Licensed buyers have a business licence on file and pay standard-volume or high-volume fees depending on how much they buy. Non-licensed buyers have their own fee schedule and can bid on vehicles legally available to them, for example in sales marked Public Auction. Heavy vehicles and Rec Rides powersports have separate schedules.

If you lack the licence a vehicle requires, you buy through a broker: a registered buyer who bids for you and charges a fee. Outside the US, IAA recognises brokers called Market Alliances, which run local IAA Auction Centers. Besides live auctions, IAA sells some vehicles through Buy Now at a set price and through Timed Auctions, open online for about a day before the live sale. To see how the costs add up, read auction fees explained.

Questions

Is IAA the same as IAAI?

Yes. The company calls itself IAA, for Insurance Auto Auctions, and its website is iaai.com, so buyers use both names.

What does Stationary mean on an IAA listing?

The car would not start, has engine damage, or wasn’t tested when it arrived at the branch. The code doesn’t say which, so budget as if the engine needs work until an inspection shows otherwise.

What is ACV on an IAA listing?

Actual Cash Value: the seller’s estimate of what the car would be worth undamaged, based on sources such as Kelley Blue Book or Black Book. IAA shows it for information only.

Is Smart VIN Check connected to IAA?

No. Smart VIN Check is independent and not affiliated with IAA. Our auction report collects what was recorded when a car was put up for sale.

Related

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