If you’re worried about sharing your VIN – don’t be. It is 100% safe and okay to share your vehicle’s VIN with other people.
When you’re selling your car privately, providing potential buyers with the VIN upfront can be useful to screen for interested buyers more quickly.
When you need to get a replacement part for your vehicle, providing your VIN to the auto parts store employee will allow them to help you locate exactly what you need.
Any time you complete a vehicle transaction with the DMV, you’re going to need to provide your VIN as well.
Plus, most of the time, your VIN can be checked from the outside of your car by looking through the front windshield onto the dashboard.
While the vehicle identification number contains unique information, it doesn’t contain sensitive information.
Sharing, decoding, and checking your VIN is completely safe.
To get started, check out some of our other resources:
- Free VIN Decoder.
- Guide to Vehicle History Reports.
- More information about vehicle identification numbers.
Giving out the VIN when Selling your Vehicle
When you’re selling a vehicle, sharing the VIN with potential buyers upfront or even within the car for sale ad itself can be a benefit.
First, you’ll demonstrate to the buyer that the car is legit and not stolen.
They’ll be able to run a vehicle history report if they’d like.
Doing this can typically weed out the uninterested buyers, so when you are contacted, it is by someone who has already done their research and isn’t just going to be kicking tires.
And, you’ll both get a better sense of how much the vehicle is actually worth.
Sharing your VIN will generally make the sale a whole lot smoother.
Is your Identity Protected when Sharing the VIN?
While a VIN check will reveal details about the vehicle’s title and ownership history, a vehicle history report or VIN check will not share your personal information such as your name, age, or address.