What the badges mean

"Brand" is DMV terminology for a permanent mark stamped on a car's title that flags a serious problem in its past — things like salvage, rebuilt, flood, junk, or lemon-law buyback. A brand is meant to carry forward when the car is retitled, even in a different state, though how each state records and reports brands varies.

"No brands on record" means NMVTIS did not show a reported title brand for this VIN at the time of the check. It is a records result, not a guarantee that the vehicle has never been damaged, totaled, flooded, rebuilt, or otherwise been through an event that isn't reflected in the available records.

Two things worth knowing about that badge:

• It's a records check, not a physical inspection. It only reports what states and insurers have submitted to NMVTIS, so a very recent event might not be in the system yet. That's why the title page also says "very recent events may be missing" under the badge.
• It's separate from the PPI badge. NMVTIS checks the paperwork history; a pre-purchase inspection checks the actual car. A listing can be clean on one and still worth getting the other.

The same federal check found the opposite of a clean result: the title has been marked salvage, rebuilt, or another brand at some point. If the seller had already said so, the badge reads "Brand confirmed by NMVTIS." If the seller had said the title was clean and the check disagreed, the badge says so directly and shows both, because what the seller claims and what the record shows can differ.

A branded title isn't necessarily a reason to walk away — plenty of rebuilt cars drive fine — but it usually affects resale value and can affect insurance, which is a question for your insurer. Read the title-history section further down the listing page for the specific record NMVTIS found.

This badge appears only while an automatic NMVTIS check is running for the listing, which happens when the site has a title-records provider switched on and the listing has just gone live. It usually completes within minutes; if it fails it is retried every fifteen minutes, and the badge stays until there is a result. A listing without this badge and without a result has not been checked against the records.

When the automatic NMVTIS check isn’t available, no records check has been done. The seller can instead upload a photo of the title with their personal information covered. "Awaiting review" means a photo is on file and a person hasn’t looked at it yet. A listing with no records check and no photo carries no title badge at all. "Checked against VIN" means someone confirmed the title’s VIN and any brand line match what the seller entered. It is a person reading a photo, not a records check.

A listing’s transmission comes from the VIN when the VIN provides it. If a seller says the car has actually been converted to a manual even though the VIN decodes as an automatic, that’s a real thing that happens, so this badge shows the seller’s claim next to the VIN-derived value and labels which is which. Both are on the page; deciding what to believe, and asking about it, is yours.

For a small number of older or unusual VINs, NHTSA's database is missing this detail. When that happens, the seller enters it themselves, and the listing says so, so you know that one detail comes from the seller rather than the factory record. Trim is the one NHTSA most often leaves blank, even on new cars, so a reported trim is common and not a warning sign in itself; it is simply the seller's word rather than the manufacturer's.

The seller told us there’s still a loan on the car, which usually means a lender’s name is on the title. They didn’t have to say so, and a badge that says they did is worth more than silence.

“Disclosed” marks where it came from: the seller’s own answer, rather than a lender or DMV record, so confirm the details with the lender before you pay. A loan doesn’t usually stop a sale — it normally means the loan is paid off and the lien released as part of the transfer, though how that works varies by lender and state. See how to close a sale safely for handling it at the seller’s bank or credit union.

PPI stands for pre-purchase inspection: an independent inspector looks the car over before you buy it. This badge means the seller uploaded an inspection report and named an AutoRadian-listed inspector, a date and a mileage. "AutoRadian-listed inspector" means exactly this: the inspector applied, confirmed they carry liability insurance and will provide proof if asked, verified a business phone number by text, and a person reviewed the application before it went public. AutoRadian checks that the inspector is on the directory and that a report file arrived; it does not read the report, contact the inspector, or confirm the inspection happened as described. The report is linked so you can read it yourself, and the inspector is named so you can ask them.

A seller can also attach a report from an inspector who isn’t on the directory. Then the listing says “Inspector named by seller” and shows the name, address, phone and website exactly as the seller typed them. AutoRadian doesn’t check any of those details or the inspector, so contact them yourself if the report matters to your decision.

The date matters more than the badge itself. An inspection from four days ago is close to a live snapshot of the car; one from six months ago is much less current. The site doesn't grade this for you on purpose — use the date to decide whether you want your own, freshly booked through the inspector directory.

Phone verified: the seller confirmed control of the phone number on the account. That is all it means. It does not say anything about the seller’s identity, history or the car. AutoRadian limits accounts and listings to help keep dealer inventory and duplicate listings off the site.

Sale Pending means the seller has a buyer they’re finalizing a deal with, but the sale isn’t final. The listing is still live, and the seller may still be worth contacting as a backup in case that deal falls through.

The seller switches it on and off from their own listings page. It clears itself the moment a listing is marked sold, expires or is removed, so it never appears on a car that isn’t live.

There isn’t one, and there can’t be. The order you see cars in is the order they were listed, or the sort you chose, and nothing a seller pays changes it. A listing can’t be bumped, by the seller or by us.

A listing fee pays for the listing, not for where it appears, and extending a listing doesn’t move it up the page either. There is no way to buy a better position, so the car at the top of your results is there because it matched your search and your sort put it first, not because someone paid for the spot.