How Orto works
Scan a plate or type a VIN, and Orto pulls the car's history into one plain-English report.
Tom Jordan
Last Update a day ago
Orto turns a license plate or a VIN into the full story on a vehicle, in seconds. Here is the flow.
- Start a lookup. Point your phone camera at a license plate or a VIN and let Orto read it, or type either one by hand. On the web app you can type a plate (with its state) or a VIN.
- Orto decodes the vehicle. We identify the exact year, make, model, trim, and build details from the official NHTSA VIN decoder, then pull safety recalls, crash-test ratings, and market context for that model. This part is free.
- See the Orto Score. Every vehicle gets a single A to D grade, the **Orto Score**, that rates how good the make, model, and year is, along with the specific risks flagged in plain English.
- Unlock the full history (optional). For the records that are specific to this exact car, its title brands, salvage or total-loss events, and odometer readings, you can unlock a full vehicle history report drawn from NMVTIS, the U.S. Department of Justice title database.
- Save and share. Keep vehicles in your garage, and share a read-only report link with a buyer, seller, or colleague.
Orto is a research tool, not a substitute for a professional inspection. Where a source is unavailable, Orto tells you rather than guessing.