VIN decoder by make · what the 17 characters mean
VIN decoder by make — what the 17 characters say, and what they don't
A VIN tells you who built a vehicle, its model line, engine type, model year and plant, and gives it a serial number. It never tells you the options, the paint or the interior it was ordered with. This page explains the 17 characters under the US rules, with a page for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Volvo, the makes we sell the factory build sheet for. Enter a VIN for one of those makes to see which vehicle it is, free; the build sheet is $7.99 and only charged if it exists.
Decode a VIN, then see how it was built
For a make we cover, we show you which vehicle it is first, free, then you decide.
The VIN is at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, on the door-jamb sticker, and on the title, registration and insurance card.
What you get
2020 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Cabriolet
Paint
040U
Black - standard finish
Other rows on the same sheet
- 124A
- LEATHERETTE - BROWN
- P31
- AMG LINE EXTERIOR/AMG SPORT PACKAGE EXTERIOR
- 234
- BLIND SPOT ASSIST
Build sheet available for 18 makes
Each tested on real US vehicles first.
- Audi
- BMW
- Cadillac
- Chevrolet
- Chrysler
- Dodge
- Genesis
- GMC
- Hyundai
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Kia
- Land Rover
- Mercedes-Benz
- Polestar
- Ram
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
No build sheet for these makes
Their makers returned nothing, or too little, for US vehicles in our tests.
- Ford
- Honda
- Mazda
- Nissan
- Subaru
- Toyota
How do I decode a VIN?
The 17 characters of a US VIN
Every vehicle sold in the US carries a 17-character VIN laid out under NHTSA's regulation, 49 CFR Part 565. It uses digits and capital letters but never I, O or Q, so they can't be mistaken for 1 and 0, and no two vehicles from model years 1980 to 2039 may share one.
| Positions | Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Manufacturer identifier (WMI) | The manufacturer and the type of vehicle: passenger car, SUV (NHTSA's "multipurpose passenger vehicle"), truck or motorcycle. A maker usually holds several. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle descriptor | The model line, body type, engine type and restraint systems (for an SUV or truck, also its weight class), in a code each maker chooses and files with NHTSA. |
| 9 | Check digit | A digit, or the letter X, calculated from the other 16 characters, so a copying mistake shows up. |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or digit from a fixed table: L is 2020, R is 2024, T is 2026. |
| 11 | Plant | The factory that built the vehicle, in the maker's own code. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | The number assigned in production. On cars, SUVs and light trucks the last five characters are always digits. |
The first character usually shows where the company that assigned the VIN is based. In the US VINs we decoded with NHTSA's decoder, codes beginning 1, 4, 5 and 7 were vehicles built in the US (in Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina), 3 were built in Mexico (Puebla and San Luis Potosí), and W and Y were German and Swedish makers' codes. It isn't always the factory, though: a Volvo XC40 built in Belgium still starts YV4.
The model-year code (position 10)
Every vehicle built for the US carries its model year in position 10, from a fixed table in NHTSA's rules. The letters I, O, Q, U and Z are never used for it, and the table starts again every 30 years:
| Code | Model year | Code | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | K | 2019 |
| B | 2011 | L | 2020 |
| C | 2012 | M | 2021 |
| D | 2013 | N | 2022 |
| E | 2014 | P | 2023 |
| F | 2015 | R | 2024 |
| G | 2016 | S | 2025 |
| H | 2017 | T | 2026 |
| J | 2018 | V | 2027 |
On cars, SUVs and light trucks, position 7 tells you which cycle you're in: a letter there means the code is a year from 2010 to 2039, a digit means 1980 to 2009. It's the model year, not the date the vehicle was built, so a 2020 model can have left the factory in 2019.
The check digit (position 9)
Position 9 is worked out from the other 16 characters. Each letter is given a number (A is 1, B is 2 and so on, with set values from J onward), each position a weight (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 for the first seven, 10 for the eighth, 0 for the check digit itself, then 9 down to 2 for the last eight), and the products are added up and divided by 11. The remainder is the check digit; a remainder of 10 is written X. If the sum doesn't come out, a character has been copied wrong, which is worth knowing before you pay for anything by VIN.
What no VIN decoder can tell you
A decoder can only read what the 17 characters encode. None of these is in them:
- The options and packages the vehicle was ordered with: the sunroof, the sound system, the driver assistance package.
- The paint and its code, and the interior color and upholstery.
- The price it sold for new.
- The history: services, mileage, owners, accidents.
The options, the paint and the interior are in the maker's production records, which is what the factory build sheet reads. The price was on the original window sticker, and the history is in dealer service records, which are filed under the VIN.
VIN decoder pages by make
Each make sets its own codes. These pages list the manufacturer codes NHTSA holds for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volkswagen and Volvo, what the plant code said on real US VINs we decoded, and what the factory build sheet adds:
- BMW VIN decoder (codes WBA, 5UX, WBX and more)
- Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder (codes WDD, W1K, WDC and more)
- Audi VIN decoder (codes WAU, WA1, WUA and more)
- Volkswagen VIN decoder (codes WVW, WVG, 1VW and more)
- Volvo VIN decoder (codes YV1, YV4, 7JR and more)
With the VIN: the factory build sheet
The build sheet is the maker's own record of how one vehicle left the production line: every option code with its description, the paint (with its code where the maker records one), the interior and the transmission. No prices. A real one, in part:
- s0610
- Head Up Display
- s05dn
- Parking Assistant Plus
- s0402
- Panorama glass roof
- s0453
- Active seat ventilation, front
- s04fl
- Travel & Comfort System
- s0322
- Comfort access system
Enter the VIN in the form above: we show you which vehicle it is first, free, then the build sheet is $7.99, only charged if the maker holds one. More on the build sheet by VIN.
A free decoder for any make
NHTSA's free VIN decoder reads the fields the maker filed for a VIN: the make, the model, the model year, the body, the engine and the plant. It's run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it's free, and it's the source of the codes on these pages. Like every decoder, it stops at what the VIN encodes, so it can't show the options, the paint or the interior.
We aren't affiliated with any manufacturer. We aren't affiliated with NHTSA either.
Where to find the VIN
- Through the windshield, at the bottom corner on the driver's side.
- On the sticker inside the driver's door jamb.
- On the title, the registration card and the insurance ID card.
A VIN always has 17 characters and never contains the letters I, O or Q.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free VIN decoder?
Yes. NHTSA's own decoder (vPIC) is free and reads what the maker filed for any VIN: the make, model, model year, body, engine and plant. Our form above also shows you the make, model and year free for the makes we cover. What no decoder can read is the options, the paint and the interior, because they aren't in the VIN; the factory build sheet that lists them is $7.99.
Can a VIN decoder show a car's options or trim?
No. The VIN encodes the manufacturer, the model line, the body, the engine type, the restraint systems, the model year, the plant and a serial number. The options, the paint and the interior were never part of it: they're in the maker's production records, which is what the factory build sheet reads ($7.99, only charged if it exists).
How do I tell the model year from a VIN?
Look at position 10. It's a code from a fixed table: L is 2020, M 2021, N 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025 and T 2026. On cars and light trucks, a letter in position 7 confirms the code is a year from 2010 on.
What does the ninth character of a VIN mean?
It's a check digit: a number, or the letter X, calculated from the other 16 characters. If it doesn't work out, the VIN has been copied wrong.
Can the VIN tell me where the car was built?
Usually. Position 11 is the plant, in the maker's own code, and NHTSA's decoder translates it. The first three characters name the company that assigned the VIN, which isn't always where the car was built: a Volvo XC40 built in Belgium still starts YV4.
Does a VIN show the service history?
Not by itself, but it's the key dealer service records are filed under. Where we cover the make, the service history check by VIN ($14.99) reads those records, and nothing is charged if none are found.
Which makes does the build sheet cover?
In the United States: Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Genesis, GMC, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Ram, Volkswagen and Volvo. We tested each on real US vehicles before offering it, and you see before you pay whether your VIN is one we can serve.
Decode the VIN, then see how the vehicle was built
The make, model and year are free. Every option, the paint and the interior: $7.99, only if the maker holds a build sheet.
Enter the VIN