2025 Year in Rear View: CARFAX Canada Unveils Used Vehicle History Insights for the Year

Key Terms

vehicle history report technical

A vehicle history report is a compiled record of a used car’s past — including title status, reported accidents, service and maintenance entries, odometer readings, and any liens or salvage branding — drawn from DMV records, repair shops, insurers and auctions. Investors treat it like a medical or credit report for a car: it helps reveal hidden problems, estimate future repair or resale value, and reduce the risk of overpaying or holding impaired vehicle assets.

lien financial

A lien is a legal claim a lender or creditor places on an asset—like property, equipment, or a bank account—giving them the right to seize or force sale of that asset if the borrower fails to repay what they owe. For investors, liens matter because they reduce the value or saleability of an asset, increase risk of loss if a company defaults, and reveal that cash flow or collateral is already promised to others, much like a mortgage limits what a homeowner can freely sell.

vin fraud technical

VIN fraud is the deliberate tampering, replacement, or falsification of a vehicle’s unique identification number to conceal its true history—such as theft, major damage, salvage status, or odometer rollback. For investors, VIN fraud can hide liabilities, overstate asset values, harm a company’s reputation, trigger regulatory penalties or insurance losses, and distort market prices; like swapping a serial number on an appliance to hide defects, it makes assessing a vehicle-related business’s risk and value much harder.

cloned vins technical

Cloned VINs are vehicle identification numbers copied from a legitimate car and placed on a different, often stolen or salvaged, vehicle so it appears legal and trackable; it’s like putting someone else’s official nameplate on a different product. Investors should care because cloned VINs can hide losses, lead to unexpected recalls or liability, distort inventory and resale values, and damage a company’s reputation and legal standing, creating financial and regulatory risk.

vin technical

A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a unique 17-character code assigned to each motor vehicle that acts like the car’s fingerprint, encoding its make, model, engine, assembly plant and production sequence. Investors use VINs to verify inventory, track sales and recall exposure, detect fraud or mismatches, and assess resale and warranty liabilities—information that affects a vehicle maker’s revenue, costs and reputation.

With Millions of Issues Uncovered, Canadians Urged to Get a CARFAX Canada History Report Before Buying a Used Car

LONDON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CARFAX Canada reveals its 2025 Year in Rear View¹, showcasing trends uncovered from the millions of Vehicle History Reports run over the past year. Key insights shared include accidents, weather-related damage and other critical factors that influence the used vehicle market and impact Canadian car buyers.

CARFAX Canada Year in Rear View 2025. Based on data from CARFAX Canada reports run from September 30, 2024, to October 1, 2025.

"Our data reveals critical issues buyers should be aware of when shopping in the used car market—from accidents and weather damage to money owing and fraud. One of the first things buyers should do is check a vehicle’s history and lien status before purchasing or they could risk ending up with a major headache," said Shawn Vording, President at CARFAX Canada.

Accidents or Damage: 1 in 4 Vehicles

In 2025, the total amount of accident claim damage found on CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Reports was more than $9.2 billion, which is 21% more than 2024. This year's Vehicle History Report data revealed more than 600,000 vehicles with accidents in their past.

• Fun fact: February 18 was the day with the most accident records in 2025, with over a thousand incidents reported. The most expensive day for accident claims was January 28, costing more than $12.2 million.

Beyond collisions, CARFAX Canada uncovered more than 50,000 vehicles with severe weather-related damage, leaving behind expensive repairs. Alberta leads the country’s weather-related claims with over $454 million in damages, of which 91% are related to hail. Ontario follows the list with more than $50.3 million in claims, and Quebec takes third place totaling $1.6 million in weather-related repairs.

The top 3 provinces with the most expensive hail-related claims:

• Alberta: $414.8 million
• Ontario: $37.4 million
• Quebec: $1.56 million

Wind damage claims also impacted Canadians this year with Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia topping the list with the most expensive wind claims in the country.

• Alberta: $39.9 million
• Ontario: $11.8 million
• Nova Scotia: $1.16 million

Money Owing: 40% of Vehicles

Liens (money owing on vehicles) persist as a top concern for used car buyers, with 40% of lien checks conducted revealing outstanding debt on vehicles.

CARFAX Canada’s 2025 Year in Rear View serves as a stark reminder that investigating a vehicle's history isn't just recommended—it's absolutely critical before making any used vehicle purchase. Without this essential due diligence, buyers risk inheriting costly mechanical problems, hidden accident damage, or even safety hazards that could put lives at risk and drain thousands from their wallets.

Other fun facts:

• White, black and gray are the most popular vehicle colours for Canadians
• The highest odometer reading found this year was on a 2015 GMC Savana with an impressive 995,761 kilometres logged

Vording adds “Canadians should remain vigilant against VIN fraud as this continues to be an issue in the country affecting the entire auto industry from used car buyers to vehicle owners, dealerships, and insurance providers. We estimate that over 372,000 vehicles are in the country with potentially cloned VINs.”

From accident records to money owning and potential VIN fraud, CARFAX Canada searches billions of data records to help Canadians make the right choice when buying used vehicles.

Visit carfax.ca to learn more about CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report and VIN Fraud Check.

Based on data from CARFAX Canada reports run from September 30, 2024, to October 1, 2025.

About CARFAX Canada

CARFAX Canada, a part of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), is Canada’s definitive source of automotive information, delivering vehicle history, valuation and service solutions. Drawing on billions of data records from thousands of sources, its products enable used vehicle buyers, sellers and vehicle service providers to make informed decisions. CARFAX Canada is dedicated to transparency and is trusted to provide vehicle history, valuation and service information to dealerships, vehicle manufacturers, consumers, service shops, major auctions, governments, insurance providers and police agencies.

Connect with CARFAX Canada on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

¹Based on data from CARFAX Canada reports run from September 30th, 2024, to October 1st, 2025.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251125632667/en/

Claudia Jaimes

Manager, Public Relations and Social Media

CARFAX Canada

cjaimes@carfax.ca

+1.519.709.4941

Source: CARFAX Canada