Vehicle history glossary

44 terms that turn up on titles, history reports and dealer paperwork, explained in plain English with what each one should change about how you buy.

Titles and brands

Certificate of Titlealso car title, pink slipThe state-issued document that proves who legally owns a vehicle.Title Brandalso branded titleA permanent label a state adds to a title to record serious damage or unusual history.Salvage Titlealso salvage certificateA title brand applied when an insurer declares a vehicle a total loss.Rebuilt Titlealso reconstructed title, revived salvageA title issued after a salvage vehicle has been repaired and passed state inspection.Clean TitleA title with no damage or history brands recorded against it.Title WashingMoving a branded vehicle between states to obtain a title without the brand.Flood Damagealso water damage, flood titleDamage from submersion, which corrodes wiring and electronics long after the vehicle looks dry.Junk Titlealso non-repairable, certificate of destructionA brand meaning the vehicle can never legally return to the road.Lemon Law Buybackalso manufacturer buybackA vehicle repurchased by its manufacturer because a defect could not be fixed.Bonded TitleA title issued against a surety bond when ownership cannot be fully documented.Lienalso lienholder, encumbranceA lender's legal claim against a vehicle until the debt secured on it is repaid.Odometer Rollbackalso odometer fraud, clockingIllegally reducing a vehicle's displayed mileage to inflate its value.Total Lossalso written off, write-offAn insurer's decision that repairing a vehicle costs more than it is worth.Actual Cash Valuealso ACVWhat a vehicle was worth immediately before it was damaged, after depreciation.

Identifiers and documents

Vehicle Identification Numberalso VIN, chassis numberThe seventeen-character code that uniquely identifies one specific vehicle.Check DigitThe ninth VIN character, calculated from the other sixteen to catch transcription errors.World Manufacturer Identifieralso WMIThe first three VIN characters, identifying who built the vehicle and where.Window Stickeralso Monroney label, Monroney stickerThe federally required label listing a new vehicle's specification, options and original price.License Platealso number plate, registration plate, tagThe state-issued registration identifier displayed on a vehicle.

Records and sources

NMVTISalso National Motor Vehicle Title Information SystemThe federal title database that exists to stop branded vehicles being laundered between states.Vehicle History Reportalso VHR, VIN checkA compiled record of what is known about one vehicle, assembled from many separate sources.Driver Privacy Protection Actalso DPPAThe federal law restricting who may obtain personal information from motor vehicle records.Auction RecordEvidence that a vehicle passed through a wholesale or salvage auction, often with photographs.Service Historyalso maintenance recordsThe record of maintenance and repair work carried out on a vehicle over its life.Recallalso safety recall, open recallA manufacturer campaign to fix a safety defect, carried out free of charge.Technical Service Bulletinalso TSBA manufacturer instruction to dealers on diagnosing a known fault, without a free repair.

Damage

Accident Historyalso collision history, damage historyReported collisions and the damage recorded against a vehicle.Frame Damagealso structural damage, unibody damageDamage to the load-bearing structure of a vehicle rather than to its panels.Airbag DeploymentA record that the restraint system fired, which implies a significant impact.Hail DamageDents across horizontal panels from a hailstorm, sometimes severe enough to write a vehicle off.Stolen Vehiclealso theft record, theft recoveryA vehicle reported stolen, whether or not it was later recovered.VIN Cloningalso VIN swappingPutting a legitimate vehicle's VIN onto a stolen or written-off one to disguise it.

Ownership and use

Previous Owneralso owner count, number of ownersA count of how many times a vehicle has changed registered keeper.Fleet VehicleA vehicle owned by a company and used for business rather than by a private individual.Rental Vehiclealso ex-rental, daily rentalA vehicle previously used in a rental fleet and driven by many different people.Lease Returnalso off-lease vehicleA vehicle returned at the end of a lease, usually within mileage and condition limits.Grey Market Vehiclealso imported vehicle, parallel importA vehicle built for a different market and imported outside the manufacturer's official channel.

Buying

Pre-Purchase Inspectionalso PPIAn independent mechanical inspection commissioned by the buyer before purchase.As-Is SaleA sale with no warranty, where the buyer accepts the vehicle in its current condition.Certified Pre-Ownedalso CPOA manufacturer-backed used programme with an inspection and an extended warranty.Book Valuealso market value, trade valueAn estimated market value for a vehicle given its year, mileage and condition.Negative Equityalso upside down, underwaterOwing more on a vehicle loan than the vehicle is currently worth.Curbstoningalso curbstone dealerAn unlicensed dealer posing as a private seller to avoid consumer protection rules.Repossessionalso repoA lender taking back a vehicle after the borrower defaults on the loan.

Check a specific vehicle

Definitions tell you what to look for. A VIN check tells you which of them apply to the car in front of you.