CARFAX Glossary

Domestic vehicle

The vehicle was originally sold in the country of its current registration.

Model year

This term is defined by the manufacturer but it is typically the year the vehicle is built. If the model year does not appear on the CARFAX report, it is because the manufacturer did not include this information in the VIN. Model year can normally be determined by the vehicle age.

Number of records

A CARFAX record refers to a specific incidence and date in the history of the vehicle. Please note that the history of younger vehicles tends to have fewer entries. CARFAX continuously works on getting more data sources and historical information in order to enrich the report

Quick Check

A snapshot of the information CARFAX has abstracted from our extensive database to determine whether a vehicle has been reported stolen, reported scrapped, publicly imported or ever used for non-personal purposes. This summary is based upon all the information supplied to CARFAX from various sources. Additional information about this vehicle, including these potential problems, may exist and may not have been reported to CARFAX.

Vehicle reference

User-provided value to identify the vehicle during the CARFAX Vehicle History Report retrieval process and to confirm vehicle identity on the report itself.