Decode any VIN. Free, with NHTSA data.
Enter the 17-character VIN to see the year, make, model and trim, engine and transmission, where it was built, its factory safety equipment and every recall issued for that model year.
Seventeen characters, six parts.
Every VIN since 1981 follows the same structure, set by federal rule 49 CFR Part 565 and ISO 3779. The first eleven characters describe the vehicle; the last six identify the one car.
| Position | What it encodes | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 WMI | Country or region of the manufacturer 1, 4, 5 United States · 2 Canada · 3 Mexico · J Japan · K Korea · W Germany · S United Kingdom · Z Italy · L China. | 1, 4, 5 United States · 2 Canada · 3 Mexico · J Japan · K Korea · W Germany · S United Kingdom · Z Italy · L China. |
| 2 WMI | Manufacturer Assigned with positions 1 and 3 as a world manufacturer identifier (WMI), registered with NHTSA through SAE. | Assigned with positions 1 and 3 as a world manufacturer identifier (WMI), registered with NHTSA through SAE. |
| 3 WMI | Vehicle type or division A 9 here means a small manufacturer (fewer than 1,000 vehicles a year); positions 12–14 then complete its identifier. | A 9 here means a small manufacturer (fewer than 1,000 vehicles a year); positions 12–14 then complete its identifier. |
| 4–8 VDS | Vehicle descriptor section Model line, series, body style, engine and restraint system. Each manufacturer files its own coding with NHTSA, so the order differs by brand. | Model line, series, body style, engine and restraint system. Each manufacturer files its own coding with NHTSA, so the order differs by brand. |
| 9 Check | Check digit A digit 0–9 or X computed from the other 16 characters. Required on North American VINs; catches most typos. | A digit 0–9 or X computed from the other 16 characters. Required on North American VINs; catches most typos. |
| 10 VIS | Model year Letters and digits on a 30-year cycle. The table below shows which years each code can mean. | Letters and digits on a 30-year cycle. The table below shows which years each code can mean. |
| 11 VIS | Assembly plant Manufacturer-specific code for the factory that built the vehicle. | Manufacturer-specific code for the factory that built the vehicle. |
| 12–17 VIS | Production sequence (serial) Unique to one vehicle. We never send these six characters to NHTSA or store them. | Unique to one vehicle. We never send these six characters to NHTSA or store them. |
Position 10 is the model year.
One character stands for the model year, which can differ from the calendar year the car was built.
- A1980
2010 - B1981
2011 - C1982
2012 - D1983
2013 - E1984
2014 - F1985
2015 - G1986
2016 - H1987
2017 - J1988
2018 - K1989
2019 - L1990
2020 - M1991
2021 - N1992
2022 - P1993
2023 - R1994
2024 - S1995
2025 - T1996
2026 - V1997
2027 - W1998
2028 - X1999
2029 - Y2000
2030 - 12001
2031 - 22002
2032 - 32003
2033 - 42004
2034 - 52005
2035 - 62006
2036 - 72007
2037 - 82008
2038 - 92009
2039
The cycle repeats every 30 years, so A can mean 1980 or 2010. For cars, SUVs and light trucks up to 10,000 lb sold in North America, position 7 settles it: a digit there means 1980–2009 and a letter means 2010–2039. The letters I, O, Q, U and Z and the digit 0 are never used as year codes.
How position 9 catches typos.
North American VINs carry a check digit, so a mistyped VIN can be spotted before it’s decoded. Our decoder runs this check as you type.
- 1Turn every character into a number. Digits keep their value; letters use the table (A = 1, B = 2 … the letters skip I, O and Q).
- 2Multiply each value by the weight for its position. Position 9 itself has weight 0.
- 3Add the 17 products and divide by 11.
- 4The remainder is the check digit. A remainder of 10 is written as X.
Defined in 49 CFR 565.15. One wrong character changes the result in almost every case, which is why a mismatch usually means a typo. VINs from outside North America may use position 9 for something else.
Where your VIN is printed.
Base of the windshield
Look through the glass on the driver’s side, where the dashboard meets the windshield.
Driver’s door jamb
On the certification label on the door edge or the pillar it closes against, next to the tire-pressure label.
Title and registration
Printed on the vehicle title, registration card and most state inspection paperwork.
Insurance card
Your insurance ID card and policy documents list the VIN of each covered vehicle.
Service records
Shop invoices and dealer service records usually print the VIN at the top.
Engine bay or frame
Some vehicles stamp it on the firewall, engine block or frame rail, which helps on older cars and trucks.
A decode isn’t a history report.
A VIN decode tells you
- Year, make, model, trim and series
- Engine, transmission, drive type and fuel
- Body style, doors, seats and weight class
- The country, city and plant where it was built
- Factory safety equipment the maker reported to NHTSA
- Which NHTSA recalls were issued for that model year
It can’t tell you
- Accident, damage or salvage/flood title history
- Odometer readings or the number of owners
- Whether a specific recall was already repaired on this car
- Options added at the dealer or after the sale
- The car’s market value
Title and accident history come from paid services that use NMVTIS and insurance data. We don’t sell or estimate them.
VIN decoder by make.
Each brand page lists the world manufacturer identifiers NHTSA has on file for that make, so you can tell what the first three characters mean.
VIN questions, answered.
What is a VIN?
A vehicle identification number is the 17-character code that identifies one vehicle. Since the 1981 model year, every car, truck and motorcycle sold in the United States has one. The first 11 characters describe who built the vehicle, what it is and where it was assembled; the last six are its serial number.
Is this VIN decoder free?
Yes. Decoding uses NHTSA’s public vPIC database and the recall list uses NHTSA’s recall data. There is no signup, no payment and no limit for normal use.
Can a VIN tell me if my car has an open recall?
Partly. We show every recall NHTSA issued for the decoded make, model and model year. NHTSA’s public data is organised by model year, not by VIN, so it can’t say whether your exact car was included or already repaired. Use NHTSA’s VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls or ask a dealer for that; recall repairs are free.
Does a VIN decode show accident or title history?
No. A decode only describes how the vehicle was built: year, make, model, engine, plant and factory equipment. Accident, salvage, flood and odometer history come from paid history services that use NMVTIS and insurance data.
Why don’t VINs use the letters I, O and Q?
They are too easy to confuse with the digits 1 and 0. If you think you see an O or a Q, it is a zero; an I is a one. Our decoder flags these letters and can correct them for you.
What is the VIN check digit?
Position 9 on North American VINs is a check digit. Each character is converted to a number, multiplied by a weight for its position, and the total is divided by 11; the remainder (or X for 10) must equal position 9. A mismatch almost always means a typo.
How do I find the model year from a VIN?
Look at position 10. Its letters and digits repeat every 30 years, so A means 1980 or 2010. On cars and light trucks sold in North America, a digit in position 7 means 1980–2009 and a letter means 2010–2039.
Do you store the VINs I look up?
No. Only the model pattern (positions 1–8, 10 and 11, without the check digit or serial number) is sent to NHTSA and cached, and that pattern is shared by many identical vehicles. We don’t log full VINs, don’t put them in analytics, and decode result pages are never indexed by search engines.
Why are some fields blank?
Manufacturers decide which details they report to NHTSA, and some models report little equipment. NHTSA notes that a missing value should not be read as a sign that a feature is absent.
Can I decode a VIN from before 1981?
Not reliably. Before the 1981 model year each manufacturer used its own format, often shorter than 17 characters, and NHTSA’s database does not decode them.