2018 TESLA MODEL 3 LONG RANGE/MID RANGE VIN 5YJ3E1EA1JF160218

This record covers a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long. Power comes from electricity alone. In place of a gearbox there is a single-speed reduction gear, and the car has rear-wheel drive. Details for this car come from a single data source and may differ from its documents.

The clock stood at 101,102 miles when the data was entered. Because the clock counts miles, any figure noted in kilometres has to be converted before the two can be compared. Services and inspections note the distance covered, so a car with an ordinary past builds up a trail of figures that climb year after year. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

The source data names no primary damage. That shows only that none was entered, so the body still deserves a close look. Signs of an old repair – uneven panel gaps, overspray, a slight mismatch in paint – can still turn up at an inspection.

No key was present. Months of standing can leave a car with seized brakes and perished tyres.

A clean title is on file for this car. A clean title is a good sign, though it says nothing about wear, maintenance or how the car was driven.

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. A car’s paperwork is scattered: the registry knows about owners, the workshop about repairs and the insurance company about claims. A clean, polished car can still hide a serious accident, a flood or years of hard use.

On an electric car the health of the high-voltage battery matters more than the distance covered, and a capacity test by a dealer or specialist shows how much of its original capacity is left. The charging port and the cables supplied with the car should be checked along with the battery.

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. For this car, the VIN is 5YJ3E1EA1JF160218.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. A VIN check and a physical inspection answer different questions: the first says what happened to the car, the second what condition it is in now. Before any decision, check what is known about VIN 5YJ3E1EA1JF160218.