In Mexico, you can check whether a car is stolen in just a few seconds directly from your mobile phone. For this, there is a free ChecAuto MX application, which is connected to the REPUVE (Registro Público Vehicular) database — state vehicle registration system.
Anyone can check a car before buying or just out of curiosity. To check, simply enter the vehicle license plate (placa) or vehicle identification number — NIV, known worldwide as VIN. This 17-digit code is usually found on the vehicle's dashboard, body or registration documents. After the request, the system shows the status of the car: whether there is a record of theft in the database or not.
If the car is registered in the REPUVE database, the application is able to show additional data: make, model, year of manufacture and other basic data. This is convenient because the buyer can immediately compare the data from the system with the real car in front of him.
It is possible to perform the check using other parameters. For example, by number constancia de inscripción — certificate of registration in REPUVE. This number is usually indicated on a special blue sticker on the windshield of the car. This sticker confirms that the vehicle is included in the state register and can be identified through the system.
The application also provides a license plate recognition function with the assistance of the camera. Theoretically, it is enough to point your smartphone at the license plate, and the program automatically calculates the data thanks to OCR technology. In practice, as many users note, sometimes it is faster and more reliable to simply enter the number manually.
After checking, the application shows the result: «without a theft message», «there is a theft message» or «the car was previously stolen and found». If a vehicle is detected with an active theft report, the system may offer to contact emergency services and provide information to the authorities.
In addition to checking vehicles, ChecAuto MX also contains an additional function — a map of high-risk areas near you. It shows the areas where car thefts are most common. This data is collected from crime reporting statistics and can be useful to assess the level of risk in a particular area.
The ChecAuto MX app is available without payment in the Android and iOS app stores — search there by its name.
It is clear that when buying a used car, the ChecAuto MX app is simply indispensable. In Mexico, the used car market is huge, and cases of cars with criminal records being sold regularly occur. Checking through ChecAuto MX takes less than a minute and can save you from serious legal problems in the future.
Consultants advise doing two things before buying a car in Mexico: checking the VIN on the body with the documents and checking the car through the REPUVE database — either through the website or through the ChecAuto MX mobile application. Sometimes this simple check turns out to be the most important step in the entire transaction.