How to read a VIN: what each of the 17 characters means
The first character is the country, the 10th is the model year, and the 9th is a check digit calculated from the other 16. If the check digit doesn't add up on a North American car, the VIN was copied wrong or may have been altered. Paste one into the box below to decode it.
The 17 characters
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Country where it was built: 1, 4 or 5 is the US, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, J is Japan, K is Korea, W is Germany. |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer and vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | Model, body, engine and restraint details. |
| 9 | Check digit. |
| 10 | Model year. |
| 11 | Assembly plant. |
| 12–17 | Serial number. |
Model year codes
The 10th character repeats every 30 years, so use common sense: an "L" on a car that looks modern is 2020, not 1990.
| Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | L | 2020 |
| B | 2011 | M | 2021 |
| C | 2012 | N | 2022 |
| D | 2013 | P | 2023 |
| E | 2014 | R | 2024 |
| F | 2015 | S | 2025 |
| G | 2016 | T | 2026 |
| H | 2017 | V | 2027 |
| J | 2018 | 1–9 | 2001–2009 |
| K | 2019 | Y | 2000 |
Check the VIN on the car you're looking at
See where it was built and its model year, then check its title history for salvage, flood, odometer and theft records.
Letters a VIN never uses
I, O and Q never appear, because they're too easy to confuse with 1 and 0. If you see one, it's a misread, or the number isn't genuine.
Why the check digit matters
Each character is given a value, multiplied by a weight for its position, and added up. The remainder after dividing by 11 should equal the 9th character (10 is written as X). Someone who alters a VIN by hand rarely gets this right, so a failed check digit on a car sold in North America is a reason to stop and compare the dashboard, door sticker and paperwork again.
What a VIN doesn't tell you
Decoding shows how the car was built, not what happened to it since. Accidents, title brands, odometer readings and auction records come from a history report on that VIN.
Questions
Where is the VIN on a car?
At the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side, on the sticker in the driver's door frame, and on the ownership papers. All three should match.
Can two cars have the same VIN?
No. A duplicate VIN usually means one of them is stolen or cloned.
Does the check digit work on European cars?
Cars built for sale outside North America sometimes don't use it, so a mismatch there isn't proof of anything on its own.
Sources
- Check for recalls (NHTSA)
- Understanding an NMVTIS vehicle history report (U.S. Department of Justice)
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on a detail.