Understanding Vehicle History Reports: CarFax vs AutoCheck for Used Cars in Vermont

CarFax is the most widely recognized name in the industry and for a good reason, they have spent over a billion dollars during the past couple decades advertising their product. Their reports are thorough, covering billions of records. One of CarFax's biggest strengths is it's the vast repository of detailed service and vehicle maintenance history. For buyers who like to see when oil changes, tire rotations, or repairs were done, CarFax will likely have more data to display, especially if the work was performed at a franchised dealer or major repair chain.  With that said, keep in mind that Vermont is made up of small local business, many that don't provide data to CarFax, or dealerships such as our own that believe our customers service history is there's and not something to be sold or traded to large data companies.

Pros:

• Comprehensive service and maintenance records

• Widely trusted by consumers

• Strong coverage from insurance, DMV, and repair facilities

Cons:

• More expensive than other options

• Service descriptions can be vague or even misleading (more on this later)

AutoCheck, powered by Experian, focuses heavily on ownership, title, and auction data. For dealerships and buyers, this can be extremely valuable-especially if you want to understand how a vehicle moved through the marketplace. AutoCheck also includes an "AutoCheck Score" that allows you to quickly compare one car to another.

Pros:

• Excellent auction sales and dealer sales reporting

• Accurate title and ownership tracking

• Cost-effective, especially when reviewing multiple vehicles

• Helpful AutoCheck Score for quick comparisons

Cons:

• Less likely to have as much maintenance and service history compared to CarFax

Beyond CarFax and AutoCheck, there are free resources built on the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Examples include:

• VinCheck.info

• VinCheckPro

• NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau)

• Vehicle.report

These tools focus on:

• Title branding (salvage, flood, lemon, rebuilt)

• Theft records

• Police-reported incidents

The catch? They don't typically include service or auction history. That makes them great for spotting major red flags-but not detailed enough to replace a paid report like CarFax or AutoCheck.

Today's vehicles are built to last longer than ever, and while maintenance records are helpful, we've found that past sale and ownership data is often the most valuable information when evaluating a used car. This is where AutoCheck truly excels.

AutoCheck gives us insight into important details like:

• When a vehicle was last registered to a customer who was actively driving it

• How long it may have sat on one or more dealership lots before we reviewed it

• Whether the vehicle has passed through multiple wholesale auctions in a short period of time

This information helps us avoid cars with uncertain histories-like vehicles that have been bounced from lot to lot for months or repeatedly run through auctions. CarFax typically doesn't reveal this type of sale activity, which can make a big difference in assessing whether a car is truly a good fit for our customers.

Another key advantage is AutoCheck's reporting on auction disclosures. Millions of vehicles are sold at wholesale auctions each year, and AutoCheck's access to those records is second to none. For example, a car might appear on CarFax as a "Clean One-Owner Vehicle," but AutoCheck could show that the same vehicle was announced at auction with a serious condition such as "Frame Damage." That's the kind of detail that allows us to confidently say no thanks-and ensure we only bring in vehicles we'd be comfortable selling to our friends and neighbors.

By relying on AutoCheck, we're not just protecting our business-we're protecting you, the customer, by filtering out vehicles with questionable histories before they ever make it to our lot. It's one of the ways we deliver on our promise of honesty, transparency, and trust-values that matter just as much to us as finding you the right car.

Here's a story from right here in Vermont that shows the limitations of vehicle history reports.

A franchised new car dealer in our area always performed a complimentary multi-point inspection on every car that came in for service. Part of this inspection included a quick battery check-nothing unusual, and certainly not a sign of a problem.

But when CarFax pulled that record, it labeled it as: "Electrical System Checked."

Now, imagine seeing this entry four or five times in a single CarFax report. To the average customer, that looks like a serious recurring electrical issue. In reality, it was nothing more than routine battery tests during free inspections.

More than once, we've seen customers shy away from buying perfectly reliable vehicles because of how the report presented this information.

The takeaway? Vehicle history reports are powerful tools-but they're not perfect. Always dig deeper and ask your dealer to see if they can help explain what you're seeing.

✅ Tips for Using Vehicle History Reports

When you're shopping for Used Cars for Sale in Vermont, remember that vehicle history reports are just one part of the story.

• CarFax shines when you want to see service details.

• AutoCheck excels in auction, dealer, and title reporting.

• NMVTIS-backed tools give free insight into title brands and police reports.

And here's something many buyers don't realize: an accident note isn't always a dealbreaker. From minor fender-benders to a scratch in a parking lot, not all accidents mean the car isn't reliable. The key is to dig deeper into the details-and that's exactly what we help our customers do.

At Upper Valley Auto Mart, we use AutoCheck to provide reliable, accurate information about our vehicles-and we're always happy to walk you through any report. By explaining the story behind the data, we make sure you understand what matters, what doesn't, and when to move forward with confidence.

Because at the end of the day, buying a car is about more than just the report-it's about trust, transparency, and driving away in a vehicle you feel good about.