Research in blockchain models for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) focuses on enhancing security, privacy, and trust management through decentralized and tamper-resistant frameworks. Recent studies propose lightweight and scalable blockchain architectures that ensure secure data sharing, authentication, and transaction validation among vehicles without relying on centralized authorities. Consortium and hybrid blockchain models are being developed to reduce latency and computational overhead while maintaining transparency and immutability. Integration with edge and fog computing further enables faster consensus and real-time decision-making in vehicular environments. Smart contract–based frameworks automate trust negotiation, access control, and payment systems for services such as tolling and data trading. Additionally, blockchain combined with artificial intelligence and federated learning improves intrusion detection and data integrity verification. These advancements collectively strengthen reliability, accountability, and privacy in next-generation blockchain-enabled VANET ecosystems.