How to Decode a VIN: Position by Position
The 17 characters split into three sections. Here is what each one tells you and what it does not.
Updated
Every road vehicle built for the US market since the 1981 model year carries a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number. The format follows an international standard (ISO 3779) and, in the United States, a federal rule (49 CFR Part 565). Once you know the layout, a VIN tells you who built the vehicle, roughly what it is, which model year it belongs to and whether it was typed correctly.
The three sections
| Positions | Name | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) | The region, country and manufacturer. WBA is used by BMW AG in Germany, 5UX by BMW for SUVs built in the United States. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) | Manufacturer-defined codes for model line, body, engine and restraint system. Each maker publishes its own key. |
| 9 | Check digit | A calculated value used to catch typing errors (mandatory for North America). |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or digit that maps to the model year. |
| 11 | Plant code | The assembly plant, as defined by the manufacturer. |
| 12–17 | Production sequence | The serial number that makes this vehicle unique. |
Characters you will never see
The letters I, O and Q are never used because they are too easily confused with 1 and 0. If a VIN you copied contains one of them, a character was misread. Position 10 also never uses U, Z or 0.
Reading the model year
Position 10 runs through a 30-year cycle: A to Y (skipping I, O, Q, U and Z) and then the digits 1 to 9. That means each code stands for two possible years:
| Code | Years | Code | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1980 / 2010 | N | 1992 / 2022 |
| B | 1981 / 2011 | P | 1993 / 2023 |
| C | 1982 / 2012 | R | 1994 / 2024 |
| D | 1983 / 2013 | S | 1995 / 2025 |
| E | 1984 / 2014 | T | 1996 / 2026 |
| F | 1985 / 2015 | V | 1997 / 2027 |
| G | 1986 / 2016 | W | 1998 / 2028 |
| H | 1987 / 2017 | X | 1999 / 2029 |
| J | 1988 / 2018 | Y | 2000 / 2030 |
| K | 1989 / 2019 | 1–9 | 2001–2009 / 2031–2039 |
| L | 1990 / 2020 | ||
| M | 1991 / 2021 |
For passenger cars, multipurpose vehicles and light trucks built for North America, position 7 settles the question: a digit there points to the earlier cycle (1980–2009) and a letter points to 2010 or later. Outside North America, check the year against the vehicle's documents.
How the check digit works
Each letter is converted to a number (A=1, B=2 … H=8, J=1, K=2 … R=9, S=2 … Z=9), each position is multiplied by a fixed weight (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10, 0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2), the products are added up and the total is divided by 11. The remainder is the check digit; a remainder of 10 is written as X.
If the calculated value does not match position 9 on a North American VIN, the most likely explanation is a typo in your copy. Many European and Asian manufacturers use position 9 for other purposes on vehicles not built for North America, so a mismatch there is normal.
Where to find the VIN
- On a plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside.
- On the certification label in the driver's door jamb.
- On the title, registration and insurance documents.
- Stamped on the body or frame in locations that vary by manufacturer.
The VINs in these places should match each other. If they do not, stop and find out why before going further with a purchase.
What decoding cannot tell you
Decoding describes what the manufacturer encoded at the factory: model line, body style and engine family. It does not tell you the options fitted to a particular car, its accident history, its title status or its mileage. For those, you need records about the specific vehicle, such as auction records, title history from an NMVTIS provider and service records.