Never buy or sell a vehicle without CARJAM - New Zealand's trusted vehicle background check.
CARJAM is New Zealand's most popular vehicle background check and history report service, with a community of over 503,000 members and 4,760 businesses. Founded in 2007 by Anton Koukine and registered as CarJam Online Limited in 2008, the platform provides comprehensive vehicle information sourced from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, NZ Police, NZ Companies Office, NZ Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), Australian PPSR, and government and proprietary sources from Japan and the USA. CARJAM offers a tiered product range from free basic vehicle lookups through to comprehensive paid reports covering stolen status, ownership history, money owing (including past-plate searches), WoF/CoF history, market valuations, and import history from Japan, the USA, and Australia. The service supports cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, boats, trailers, and motorhomes - essentially any vehicle with a New Zealand registration or VIN. CARJAM also offers a Japan Vehicle Information and History report for vehicles imported from Japan, checking for collision history, flood damage, odometer discrepancies, and radioactivity contamination. A distinctive feature of CARJAM is its repossession guarantee: if a buyer purchases a vehicle based on a CARJAM report showing no registered security interests and the vehicle is subsequently repossessed, CARJAM will cover the buyer's loss up to $250,000. The platform also provides batch processing, fleet data snapshots, and an API for business customers, along with a driver licence verification service.
Comprehensive vehicle background check including stolen status, ownership history, money owing (current and past plates, VIN, chassis), WoF/CoF history, market valuation, specifications, and registration details. Priced at NZ$13.95.
Searches the Personal Property Securities Register for any registered security interests (finance owing) against the vehicle's current plate, past plates, VIN, and chassis number. NZ$3.43.
Quick check of the current registered owner information for a vehicle. NZ$0.20.
Direct search of the NZ Personal Property Securities Register for registered financing statements. NZ$1.95.
Estimated market value for a vehicle based on current NZ market data, condition, and comparable sales. NZ$4.95.
Import history for Japanese-sourced vehicles covering collision, malfunction, theft, fire/water/flood/hail damage, odometer history, recall status, radioactivity contamination, and average market price in Japan. NZ$42.45.
History report for US-sourced vehicles covering accidents, damage, title records, and odometer history. NZ$14.95.
Standalone Road User Charges status check verifying whether a vehicle's RUC licence is current and valid. NZ$0.30.
Verification of NZ driver licence details including class, endorsements, and expiry. NZ$0.65.
Bulk reporting, batch processing, fleet data snapshots, and API access for dealerships, finance companies, and fleet operators.
Founded by Anton Koukine as an online vehicle information service, originally operating as Carfax (carfax.co.nz).
CarJam Online Limited registered 5 June 2008 (Company No. 2137334, originally as Carfax Limited). Rebranded to CarJam in September 2008 after climbing from 108th to 11th in the Hitwise online automotive industry report with over 100,000 unique monthly visitors.
Expanded product range to include Japan vehicle import history reports, addressing the large NZ used-import market.
Launched USA vehicle history reports and Australian write-off/damage checks, becoming a multi-country vehicle information platform.
Community membership surpasses 400,000 registered users. Business customer base exceeds 4,000 organisations.
CEO Paul Osborne publicly campaigned against Waka Kotahi's proposal to charge 19 cents per stolen vehicle status query (previously free), appearing on the Mike Hosking Breakfast show. CARJAM estimated the change would cost approximately $1.5 million per month given 5+ million monthly stolen checks.
Community grows to over 503,000 members. Introduces $250,000 repossession cover guarantee for paid report customers. Launched MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration enabling AI assistants to access vehicle data, and a Chrome browser extension for Trade Me and AutoTrader listings.
Chief Executive Officer
Leads CARJAM's business operations, product strategy, and growth.
Chief Technology Officer & Founder
Founded CARJAM in 2007. Oversees the platform's technology, data integrations, and product development.
CARJAM provides a standalone RUC Status Check (NZ$0.30) that allows vehicle buyers and owners to verify whether a vehicle's Road User Charges licence is current. RUC status is also included in the comprehensive NZ Full History Report. This is particularly relevant for diesel and electric vehicle buyers, who need to confirm that the seller has not left outstanding RUC obligations that would transfer to the new owner. CARJAM sources RUC data from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register.
CarJam launched in 2008 as one of the first New Zealand websites to offer free basic vehicle information and stolen status checks to the public, using data from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register. The service quickly grew to become a key consumer protection tool in the used car market, helping New Zealanders detect odometer fraud and identify stolen vehicles.
In August 2023, Waka Kotahi announced plans to charge 19 cents per query for stolen vehicle status checks from the Motor Vehicle Register. CarJam, which had been providing free stolen vehicle checks since 2008 and was processing over five million stolen checks per month, warned the fee would cost approximately $1.5 million monthly and force them to discontinue the free service. CarJam launched a parliamentary petition arguing the paywall would endanger public safety.
2137334
9429032721645
NZ Limited Company
05 Jun 2008
18 Commercial Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand
Anton Koukine
Auckland, New Zealand
Paul Richard Osborne
Auckland, New Zealand
1,000 total shares
Bizoffice Limited
780 shares · Auckland, New Zealand
Paul Richard Osborne
150 shares · Auckland, New Zealand
Geoffrey Edward Means
70 shares · Waiuku, New Zealand
Source: NZ Companies Office · Last checked February 2026
View on Companies RegisterAnalysis of notable corporate and institutional shareholders. Individual shareholders are excluded.
Bizoffice (Anton Koukine)
Bizoffice Limited
A small Auckland-based software company owned and directed by Anton Koukine, CarJam's founder and CTO. Incorporated in 2002 (originally as Wisent Systems Limited, renamed 2003). Koukine is the sole active director. The company holds 78% of CarJam Online Limited, making it the controlling shareholder - this is Koukine's personal vehicle for his founding stake, confirming CarJam remains founder-controlled.
