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Free VIN decoder
Enter a VIN to see the vehicle's year, make, model, trim, engine and assembly plant, decoded from the U.S. government's NHTSA database. We validate the check digit first, so typos are caught.
What each VIN character means
| Position | Meaning | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country of manufacture | 1, 4, 5 = USA; 2 = Canada; 3 = Mexico; J = Japan; K = South Korea; S = UK; W = Germany; Z = Italy. |
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) | Assigned to the maker; shows brand and often vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle Descriptor Section | Model, body, engine and restraint codes, defined by each manufacturer. |
| 9 | Check digit | Calculated from the other 16 characters to catch typos (0–9 or X). |
| 10 | Model year | See the year chart below. |
| 11 | Assembly plant | Manufacturer-specific plant code. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | Production sequence number. |
VIN year chart (10th character)
| Code | Year | Year | Code | Year | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1980 | 2010 | S | 1995 | 2025 |
| B | 1981 | 2011 | T | 1996 | 2026 |
| C | 1982 | 2012 | V | 1997 | 2027 |
| D | 1983 | 2013 | W | 1998 | 2028 |
| E | 1984 | 2014 | X | 1999 | 2029 |
| F | 1985 | 2015 | Y | 2000 | 2030 |
| G | 1986 | 2016 | 1 | 2001 | 2031 |
| H | 1987 | 2017 | 2 | 2002 | 2032 |
| J | 1988 | 2018 | 3 | 2003 | 2033 |
| K | 1989 | 2019 | 4 | 2004 | 2034 |
| L | 1990 | 2020 | 5 | 2005 | 2035 |
| M | 1991 | 2021 | 6 | 2006 | 2036 |
| N | 1992 | 2022 | 7 | 2007 | 2037 |
| P | 1993 | 2023 | 8 | 2008 | 2038 |
| R | 1994 | 2024 | 9 | 2009 | 2039 |
VIN decoder by make
- Audi
- BMW
- Chevrolet
- Dodge
- Ford
- GM
- GMC
- Harley-Davidson
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jeep
- Kia
- Lexus
- Mazda
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Porsche
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
Questions
Is this VIN decoder free?
Yes. It uses the U.S. government NHTSA vPIC database directly from your browser; we do not store the VINs you enter.
How do I tell the model year from a VIN?
Look at the 10th character. Letters and numbers repeat every 30 years, so “R” means 1994 or 2024; the rest of the VIN (or the car’s age) tells you which.
Why does the decoder say the check digit is wrong?
The 9th character is calculated from the others to catch typos. A mismatch usually means a mistyped character; vehicles built for markets outside North America may not use a check digit.