2017 TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID XLE VIN JTMRJREV9HD091450

This Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE was built in 2017. The drivetrain combines a CVT gearbox with four-wheel drive. A 2.5-litre engine works together with an electric motor, for a combined output of 112 hp. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 152,960 miles. The figure is in miles and needs converting before it is compared with kilometres: one mile is about 1.6 km. The mileage is high for the car’s age, so the suspension, brakes, seats and steering wheel deserve a close look. 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.

Primary damage in the record: rear end. Whether the damage has been repaired since, and how well, is not something a damage entry can show. Some damage shows its consequences only later: corroded connectors and electrical faults can surface months afterwards.

The car is recorded as running and driving. A key was there when the car was checked. A condition note describes the car at one moment; months of standing or later work on the car can change the picture in either direction.

The record shows a salvage title. A title like this is issued when repair was judged uneconomical or unsafe. The structure and the quality of any work done deserve a thorough inspection on a car with a branded title, however sound the car looks.

Every car builds up a history from the day it is first registered: owners come and go, inspections are passed or failed, and repairs are paid for. The paperwork is kept by different bodies – registries, workshops, insurance companies and lenders – so the history of one car is spread across many places. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

For the engine, the service history matters most: oil changes, filters and the timing belt or chain are the entries to look for. A hybrid adds a traction battery to the engine, and its condition deserves a check of its own. Automatic transmissions, CVTs included, are expensive to repair, so the test drive should include pulling away from a standstill and a stretch at motorway speed.

Stamped into the body and printed on a plate, the VIN is the one identifier that stays with a car through every owner, registration and repair. The VIN of this Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XLE is JTMRJREV9HD091450. The number in the car’s documents should match the one stamped into the body and the one on the plate at the base of the windscreen.

Where entries exist, a VIN check can show changes of owner, past mileage readings, reported damage and whether the car is listed as stolen. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. The next step is to look up the history behind VIN JTMRJREV9HD091450.