VinSage
FOR PEOPLE BUYING A USED CAR
Check any car in one click. Free.
VinSage is a Chrome extension that turns recalls, crash ratings, owner complaints and fuel costs from NHTSA and Transport Canada into one simple deal score.
Add to Chrome, it's freeFor desktop Chrome. No account needed.
How it works
Three steps, about a minute. No sign-up, no forms.
Open a car listing
Go to a listing on AutoTrader.ca, CarGurus or Cars.com. On any other site, paste the VIN or the listing text.
Open the VinSage panel
Click the owl in your Chrome toolbar. The panel opens beside the listing and reads it for you.
Get your deal score
You see the score, the verdict and every reason behind it, all in one place.
What VinSage checks
Everything comes from official public data for the car you are looking at. Want the details first? Read the FAQ or the privacy policy.
Deal score from 0 to 100
One number that sums up safety, recalls, complaints, running costs, age and mileage, with a plain verdict: Strong buy, Decent buy, Proceed with care or Think twice.
Recall check, US and Canada
Recall campaigns for that make, model and year from NHTSA and Transport Canada, plus a link to look up open recalls for the exact VIN.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA star ratings for frontal, side and rollover tests, where the model was tested.
Owner complaints
How many complaints owners filed with NHTSA, and which parts come up most.
Fuel cost
Estimated yearly fuel cost from fueleconomy.gov, in km or miles, CA$ or US$.
Negotiation pack
Questions to ask the seller, fees to watch for, and estimated opening, target and walk-away offers based on what VinSage found.
Pricing
Everything VinSage does today is free. Paid extras are planned.
Free
Deal score, recall check, crash ratings, complaints, fuel cost and negotiation pack on every car.
Add to ChromeCar Pack
Planned: extra checks for the one car you are about to buy.
Pro
Planned: extra checks for every car while you shop. Cancel any time.
Questions
Is VinSage free?
Yes. The deal score, recall check, crash ratings, complaints, fuel cost and negotiation pack are free. Paid plans with extra tools are planned but not available yet.
Which sites does it work on?
VinSage reads listings on AutoTrader.ca, CarGurus (.ca and .com) and Cars.com automatically. On any other site you can paste the VIN or the listing text into the panel.
Where does the data come from?
Public government sources: NHTSA (the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), Transport Canada and the US fueleconomy.gov site.
Does the score judge the price?
Not yet. Today the score covers safety, recalls, complaints, running costs, age and mileage. Comparing the asking price with the market is planned.
What happens to my data?
There is no account and no ads, and the extension has no analytics. To look a car up, VinSage sends the VIN or the make, model and year to NHTSA, Transport Canada and fueleconomy.gov. Your market setting is saved in your browser. See the privacy policy for details.
Which browsers does it run on?
Desktop Google Chrome. VinSage uses Chrome's side panel, which is not available in Chrome on phones.