VIN guides
Written from primary sources · Last updated
A vehicle identification number packs a lot into 17 characters: who built the vehicle, where, for which model year, and a check digit that exposes most typing mistakes. These guides explain each part of that code in plain English, one topic per page, so you can read a VIN yourself instead of taking a decoder’s word for it.
They are written for anyone with a VIN in front of them and a question about it: buyers checking a used car before they pay, owners looking up recalls or ordering parts, and developers who handle VINs in their own software. Each guide opens with a short answer, then goes into the detail: the rule behind it, a worked example, reference tables, and the limits of what a VIN can tell you. We work from primary sources, including the U.S. VIN regulation (49 CFR Part 565), the ISO standards and EU type-approval law, and NHTSA’s public data, and every guide shows when it was last updated. Read how we research our guides.
10 guides · 3 topics · 66 min to read the full set · 2 interactive tools
What a VIN is, how its 17 characters are organised, and where to find it on the vehicle and in its paperwork.
What is a VIN? · 7 min read
A VIN (vehicle identification number) is the 17-character code that identifies one specific vehicle.
How to decode a VIN · 8 min read
To decode a VIN, split it into four parts: characters 1–3 identify the manufacturer, 4–8 describe the vehicle, 9 is a check digit, and 10–17 give the model year, assembly plant and serial number.
Where to find your VIN · 7 min read
On most cars, SUVs and pickups, the VIN is on a small plate at the lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside.
The individual codes a VIN carries (manufacturer, model year and check digit) and how European and pre-1981 numbers differ from the North American format.
The VIN check digit · 6 min read
The 9th character of a VIN is a check digit: a number from 0 to 9, or the letter X, calculated from the other 16 characters.
VIN model year codes · 6 min read
The 10th character of a North American VIN is the model year code.
WMI manufacturer codes · 8 min read
The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI).
European VIN decoding · 6 min read
European VINs use the same 17-character ISO layout as North American ones, but EU rules have required far less inside it: no model-year code, no plant code and, until recently, no check digit.
Pre-1981 VINs · 6 min read
Vehicles built before the 1981 model year usually carry identification numbers shorter than 17 characters, in formats each manufacturer chose for itself.
Using a VIN to find unrepaired safety recalls, and to spot a vehicle whose identity has been copied from another one.
VIN recall check · 6 min read
The only way to know whether a specific vehicle still has an unrepaired safety recall is a VIN-based lookup: in the U.S., NHTSA's free tool at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the manufacturer's own site.
VIN cloning · 6 min read
VIN cloning is vehicle fraud in which a stolen vehicle is given the VIN of a legitimate, similar vehicle so it can be registered and sold as that car.
- Check-digit calculator
Works out position 9 from the other 16 characters, position by position, and says whether it matches.
- Look up a year code
Turns a model-year code, or a full VIN, into the model year it stands for.
Put the guides into practice. Enter a 17-character VIN to see what it encodes, how the check digit works out, and the recalls NHTSA lists for that make, model and year.
New to VINs? Start with What is a VIN? For manufacturer-specific VIN notes, browse the brand directory.