Free License Plate Lookup for all US states

LookupAPlate offers a free tool to look up license plates from all US states completely free. With over 294 million registered vehicles in the US, searching a license plate number may feel like looking a needle in a haystack, but we’ve got you covered.

Use our tool to quickly identify the vehicle by license plate number and view vehicle specifications, recalls and even report bad drivers. You don’t need to sign up or create an account. Just enter the license plate number and select the state to get started.

Scenarios that might require conducting a reverse license plate number search?

There can be many situations when one might need to search a license plate. Here are some scenarios:

When the VIN isn’t available, the license plate number can help you identify the vehicle.
To check if the vanity plate is available for registration.
For pre-due diligence, especially when buying a used vehicle from a private party or online.
To obtain detailed vehicle records, history, service history, active recalls and accident records or to check if it was ever reported stolen.
To check if there was odometer tampering or if the vehicle has a salvage title.
Towing or insurance companies may conduct the search to identify the owner of the abandoned or damaged vehicle.
To check if there are any open recalls on the vehicle.
To report bad drivers or leave public comments on online forums/platforms.

Typically, what data can you find with a license plate search?

The license plate search can yield detailed information about the vehicle and potentially the owner. However, some of the information might be restricted depending on who you are, for what reason and where you are searching.

In general, you can expect to find the following data:

Vehicle technical specifications including make, model, color, year of make, safety rating, features and more.
Safety rating, fuel efficiency, active recalls, warranty.
Vehicle sketch.
* Service history, lien records and salvage or total loss history.
* Sale records and market value.

Personal Identifiable Information (PII), such as vehicle owner name, address etc, require a DPPA-compliant reason to be accessed (more on that below).

How to look up a license plate number?

Traditionally looking up someone’s license plate involves filing a DPPA-2 form with the local DMV office. This process can be time-consuming, especially when you just need vehicle-related information and are not interested in the ownership records.

Looking up a license plate on LookupAPlate is quick, noob-friendly and, of course, FREE. Plus, you can search directly and unlike other sites, you don’t need to register with your personal information.

Open LookupAPlate.com in your browser. (You can also bookmark the page and return to it the next time when you need to do the search)
Enter the license plate number in the search box and select the state from the drop-down.
Click on the “Search” button.
On the next page, you can view the vehicle details and see if there are any community-uploaded images, videos or feedback against the plate.
You can also add your comments, images or videos to the same page against the plate.

And that’s about it - we told you it’s easy.

Is it legal to look up a license plate?

Yes, it’s perfectly legal to run someone’s license plate, provided you have a valid reason as defined in the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA). DPPA basically prohibits and regulates sharing of personally identifiable vehicle owner data like name, address, photo and phone number without a legitimate reason.

As per DPPA, the permissible uses are:

For motor vehicle or driver safety and theft
By Government agency
For litigation/Pre-litigation
For debt recovery
For insurer and claim investigation
By licensed private investigator or agency
For employment
By consumer authority
Others; vary from state to state

Why should you report bad drivers?

As per the 2019 NHTSA report:

American roads had 228,679,719 licensed drivers and 299,267,114 registered vehicles.
A staggering 82% of drivers agree to commit or engage in road rage.
6,756,000 police-reported vehicle crashes, 36,096 fatalities, and close to 2,740,000 Americans were injured.
One person is killed every 15 minutes, and about five people are injured every minute in traffic-related incidents.
40.88 million Americans received traffic citations.

Clearly, American roads are seeing an increasing number of bad drivers and reckless driving. Next time when you encounter someone driving rashly or a bad driver, you can actually make a difference by reporting the plate on our website. Publicly naming and shaming the plate owner may just be what it takes to deter them from bad driving!