How to Decode the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)?

According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, Code of Federal Regulations, the VIN has three major sections.

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) (Characters 1-3)

The first three characters of the VIN represent the World Manufacturer Identifier, which identifies the vehicle’s country of origin and the manufacturer. The first character typically represents the country where the vehicle was manufactured, the second character may identify the manufacturer’s division or the vehicle type, and the third character often represents the vehicle’s model or manufacturing division.

WMIRegionNotesA-CAfricaAA-AH = South AfricaJ-RAsiaJ = JapanKL-KR = South KoreaL = ChinaMA-ME = IndiaMF-MK = IndonesiaML-MR = ThailandMS = MyanmarNL-NR = TurkeyPA-PE = PhilippinesPL-PR = MalaysiaRF-RG = TaiwanS-ZEuropeSA-SM = United KingdomSN-ST, W = GermanySU-SZ = PolandTA-TH = SwitzerlandTJ-TP = Czech RepublicTR-TV = HungaryTW-T1 = PortugalVA-VE = AustriaVF-VR = FranceVS-VW = SpainVX-V2 = YugoslaviaXL-XM = The NetherlandsXS-XW = USSRX3-X0 = RussiaYA-YE = BelgiumYF-YK = FinlandYS-YW = SwedenZA-ZR = Italy1-5North America1, 4, 5 = United States2 = Canada3 = Mexico6-7Oceania6A-6W = Australia7A-7E = New Zealand8-9South America8A-8E = Argentina8F-8J = Chile8L-8R = Ecuador8X-82 = Venezuela9A-9E, 93-99 = Brazil9F-9J = Colombia

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)(Characters 4-8)

Characters 4 through 8 in the VIN make up the Vehicle Descriptor Section. This portion of the VIN provides specific details about the vehicle, including its body type, engine type, series, and more. It can vary in length and content depending on the manufacturer and the specific vehicle.

Here’s what the VDS section can encompass:

• Model Information: The VDS may contain characters that represent the specific model of the vehicle. This could be a concise representation of the model name or a combination of characters indicating the model.
• Body Style: Information about the body style of the vehicle can be encoded within the VDS. This could indicate whether the vehicle is a sedan, coupe, convertible, SUV, truck, etc.
• Engine Type: Some VDS codes might include details about the engine type or configuration. This can provide insights into the powertrain of the vehicle.
• Trim Level: The trim level of the vehicle, which denotes the various features, options, and upgrades, can be encoded in the VDS. This helps distinguish between different configurations of the same model.
• Other Vehicle Specifics: Depending on the manufacturer, additional details like safety features, special packages, or specific equipment may also be included in the VDS.

It’s important to note that while the VDS code provides valuable information about a vehicle, it is not standardized across all automakers. Different manufacturers may use this section to encode various details based on their own internal coding systems. As a result, interpreting the VDS code requires access to the manufacturer’s decoding guide or database.

Vehicle Identification Section (VIS)(Characters 9-17)

The remaining characters (from 9 to 17) form the Vehicle Identification Section. This part of the VIN is unique to each vehicle and provides information about the vehicle’s model year, assembly plant, and the serial number of the vehicle as it came off the assembly line. The 9th character is often used to check the VIN’s accuracy.

Vehicle Identification Section (10th. character) – Model Year

The 10th. character of the VIN represents the model year of a car. It is one of the important information you should check if you’re planning to buy a used car. This matters because the model year helps assess the value of a car. Insurance fees also depends on the age of the car. As shown above, the 10th character of the VIN indicates the model year.

CodeYearCodeYearCodeYearA1980X1999J2018B1981Y2000K2019C198212001L2020D198322002M2021E198432003N2022F198542004P2023G198652005R2024H198762006S2025J198872007T2026K198982008V2027L199092009W2028M1991A2010X2029N1992B2011Y2030P1993C201212031R1994D201322032S1995E201432033T1996F201542034V1997G201652035W1998H201762036