2017 KIA SORENTO LX VIN 5XYPGDA30HG293575

This record covers a 2017 KIA Sorento LX, finished in blue. The gearbox is automatic, with four-wheel drive. Power comes from a 2.4-litre petrol engine with four cylinders. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

A later figure lower than an earlier one points to a replaced instrument cluster or an odometer that has been wound back.

The record lists side damage as the main problem on this car. Two cars with the same damage label can be very different: one needs a few new parts, the other major work.

A key was present.

A salvage title is on file for this car. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss. A branded title follows the car through every change of owner, so it remains part of its history.

A car’s history is the sum of what has happened to it since it was new, and most of it has left a trace on paper somewhere. From the outside, a car with a repaired accident and a car without one can look identical.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed. Drive to all four wheels means more to maintain: differentials and couplings have oil of their own, which some manufacturers want changed at set intervals.

A VIN never contains the letters I, O or Q, which could be mistaken for digits; its 17 characters identify the maker, the model and the individual car. The VIN on file for this car is 5XYPGDA30HG293575.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. No report is complete: a repair done privately and never claimed on insurance leaves nothing to find. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. A history check on VIN 5XYPGDA30HG293575 is the place to start.