Fewer than 2,200 Hoosiers have used Indiana’s free vehicle history report program since it launched last summer, a fraction of the volume the state has been paying for under a contract with data giant Experian.
New information from the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office shows that only 2,150 vehicle history reports were requested between July 2025 and February 2026. The office has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a subscription guaranteeing far more access, however.
The state has already spent more than $333,000 on the program under its original contract with Experian — and a newly signed extension will keep the service running through February 2027 for at least another $228,000, pushing the total cost past half a million dollars.
The reports are part of a program launched by Secretary of State Diego Morales that allows residents to obtain vehicle history information — typically sold online for $25 to $30 for a single report — at no cost.
But records reviewed by the Indiana Capital Chronicle show the state paid substantially more for the service than Hoosiers have used so far.
New numbers — plus a contract renewal
The original contract with Experian, signed in December 2024, took effect in January 2025 and ran through February 2026.
The state was only required to pay $2.38 per report, without any minimum purchase required, during the first two months of the contract period.
After that, the agreement guaranteed the state would be charged for a minimum of 10,000 AutoCheck vehicle history reports per month — at a cost of at least $23,800 monthly — with a true-up at the end of the 14-month term if more than 10,000 reports were requested.
If Hoosiers had used the full monthly allotment, the agreement would have delivered up to 120,000 reports per year.
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During the roughly eight months the program has been publicly available, Hoosiers requested about 2,150 reports — or roughly 269 per month on average.
At the contract’s discounted rate of $2.38 per report, those requests would be valued at just over $5,100. But the state has spent roughly $155 per report, so far, for a total of $333,200.
Experian’s vehicle history reports typically retail online for about $24.99 to $29.99 individually, or around $49.99 for a five-report package. Using that pricing, the 2,150 reports requested by residents would be worth roughly $53,000 to $64,000, in total, at standard market rates.
A contract amendment signed by the secretary of state’s office in January extended the agreement with Experian, renewing the program from March 1 through Feb. 28, 2027.
The new agreement reduces the minimum monthly payment but still guarantees the state will pay $19,000 monthly, which includes up to 8,500 vehicle history reports per month.
Reports beyond that threshold will cost $2.24 each.
The renewal carries a total value of $228,000 for the yearlong term. If Hoosiers used the full allotment, the contract could provide up to 102,000 reports annually.
Program pitched as consumer protection tool
Morales announced the free vehicle history program in July 2025, months after the state had already signed the contract with Experian.
Hoosiers can request up to five free reports per year through the state’s Access Indiana system.
“Since taking office, one of my top priorities has been constituent services and this new initiative will allow consumers to make more informed decisions,” Morales said in a news release announcing the program. “We’re putting the power of data in the hands of the people — free of charge.”
Vehicle history reports typically include information about prior owners, maintenance records, collision damage, title problems, odometer discrepancies, repossessions, open recalls and other vehicle records. Those details are often used by buyers evaluating used cars.
In a statement to the Capital Chronicle this week, Morales’ office emphasized that the public reports are only a small part of a larger data subscription used by the agency’s Auto Dealer Services Division, or ADSD, which regulates the state’s auto sales industry.
Lindsey Eaton, a spokesperson for the secretary of state, noted that the division regulates more than 718,000 vehicle sales annually in Indiana and collected more than $1 million in penalties, fines and settlements over the past year. Those collections fund the agency’s enforcement activities and pay for the data subscription, she said.
The ADSD, Eaton continued, is “fiscally self-supporting and does not receive or rely on appropriation of taxpayer funds.”
She also maintained that Experian automobile data subscribers “are typically auto dealers,” who view large numbers of vehicle reports “in connection with evaluating, purchasing, and selling used vehicles.” The state, Eaton said, “is not a typical subscriber to the service.”
She added that the free reports available to residents are “an adjunct” to the broader agreement with Experian, and that “the quantity of free auto reports available to citizens … is not a significant factor in the cost of the subscription.”
Eaton said the office “has seen a steady, continual increase in reports” but did not detail any month-by-month figures.
The vehicle report data comes amid continued scrutiny of spending by the secretary of state’s office. An earlier investigation by the Capital Chronicle found the agency entered into millions of dollars in contracts without competitive bidding.
Other reporting in 2023 showed that Morales had given a spot bonus to nearly every employee in his office — including a family member and his former campaign manager — for a total of more than $308,000.
The secretary of state was additionally criticized in the months after he took office when it was revealed that he created a new agency position — with a six-figure salary — for his brother-in-law.
Morales’ use of taxpayer funds for international travel has been scrutinized, too, as well as his purchase of a $90,000 SUV for his use in office.
The secretary of state has previously defended his office’s spending decisions, saying contracts and travel costs are aimed at expanding international business opportunities for Indiana and improving services provided by the agency.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
