Purchasing a secondhand automobile without knowing its history might be significantly more expensive than anticipated: 80% of Italian users who obtained a CARFAX report with its history and damage reports stated that they were unaware of the damage prior to doing the license plate check. This is demonstrated by research conducted by CARFAX, a prominent international company that specializes in vehicle history information. The research was conducted on a sample of Italian customers who had conducted a license plate check on the platform and received a report that mentioned accidents or damage. This number becomes even more significant when considering the Italian market in 2025: this year, 49% of vehicles checked by carfax.it exhibited a risk. By comparing this percentage to the 3.22 million used cars sold in Italy in 2025 (source: ACI), we can estimate that over 1.6 million vehicles may conceal a problematic history that was never disclosed to the buyer. When only cars engaged in road accidents or other incidents that produced damage documented in the CARFAX database are included, the number remains the same: 36%, which equates to more than 1.1 million vehicles expected to have a history of damage among used cars sold in 2025. The report is not only required when purchasing an automobile, but it can also be valuable later in the vehicle's life. When compared to the whole fleet (source: UNRAE), it is estimated that around 20 million cars have at least one risk factor and 14.8 million have been damaged or involved in a traffic accident. These figures make license plate checks no longer an optional extra, but an absolute must for anyone looking to buy a used car.