Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder · factory build sheet

Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder — the codes, then the factory options

A Mercedes VIN names the company that built it, the model line and engine type, the model year and the plant, and gives it a serial number. It doesn't tell you the options, the paint or the interior. Enter the VIN to see which Mercedes it is, free. The factory build sheet lists every option code with its description, the paint and the interior: $7.99, only charged if it exists.

Decode your Mercedes VIN

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

Rows from a real 2020 C 300 build sheet, codes and descriptions as Mercedes-Benz recorded them.

How do I decode a Mercedes VIN?

Positions 1 to 3 are the manufacturer code (WDD, W1K, WDC and others), 4 to 8 Mercedes-Benz's own code for the model line, body and engine, 9 a check digit, 10 the model year, 11 the plant and 12 to 17 the serial number. The options, the paint and the interior aren't in the VIN; they're on Mercedes-Benz's factory build sheet.

Mercedes-Benz manufacturer codes (positions 1 to 3)

Code	NHTSA lists it under	Vehicle type
WDD	Mercedes-Benz Cars	Passenger cars
W1K	Mercedes-Benz Cars	Passenger cars (listed since November 2019)
WDC	Mercedes-Benz Cars	SUVs
W1N	Mercedes-Benz AG	SUVs (listed since November 2019)
4JG	Mercedes-Benz of North America	SUVs
WDB	Mercedes-Benz Cars	Passenger cars (Mercedes-Benz and Maybach)
55S	Mercedes-Benz Cars	Passenger cars

Mercedes-Benz added new codes in 2019: NHTSA lists W1K for passenger cars and W1N for SUVs from November 2019, beside the WDD and WDC it already used. Of the US C-Class VINs we decoded, the 2020 starts WDD and the 2022 W1K, both built in Bremen. The GLE was built in Vance, Alabama, and starts 4JG, the code of Mercedes-Benz's US company. NHTSA lists more than 30 Mercedes-Benz codes in all, most of them for trucks, buses and incomplete vehicles.

Reading the rest of a US Mercedes VIN

Positions 4 to 8 are Mercedes-Benz's own code for the model line, body type, engine type and restraint systems, filed with NHTSA. We don't list them: Mercedes-Benz sets them model by model, and NHTSA's free VIN decoder reads them for any VIN. Position 9 is the check digit, position 10 the model year (L for 2020, N for 2022 and R for 2024), position 11 the plant and positions 12 to 17 the serial number.

Here is what positions 1 to 3 and 11 said on the real US Mercedes VINs we decoded with NHTSA's decoder:

Code	Model (model year)	Position 11	Built in
WDD	C-Class (2020)	F	Bremen, Germany
W1K	C-Class (2022)	G	Bremen, Germany
WDC	GLC (2016)	F	Bremen, Germany
4JG	GLE (2021)	A	Vance, Alabama

What those VINs showed, not a full list of Mercedes-Benz's plant codes. Position 10 matched the model year on every one.

What the VIN doesn't tell you

No decoder, free or paid, can read these from a Mercedes VIN, because they aren't in it:

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 Mercedes-Benz'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.

What's on a Mercedes build sheet

The factory build sheet is Mercedes-Benz's own record of how one vehicle left the production line: every option code with its description, the paint (with its code where Mercedes-Benz records one), the interior and the transmission. No prices. A real one, in part:

040U: Black - standard finish
124A: LEATHERETTE - BROWN
P31: AMG LINE EXTERIOR/AMG SPORT PACKAGE EXTERIOR
P55: NIGHT PACKAGE
234: BLIND SPOT ASSIST
403: AIRSCARF

From a real 2020 Mercedes-Benz C 300 Cabriolet build sheet. 040U is the paint code.

It answers what a VIN can't: whether the vehicle really has the package in the ad, the exact paint for a touch-up, the trim for a replacement part. We tested it on real US Mercedes-Benz vehicles first: 4 of 4, model years 2016 to 2022, each with 111 to 147 entries.

For a closer look at Mercedes-Benz's record, see the Mercedes build sheet by VIN.

A free Mercedes-Benz VIN decode from NHTSA

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

What does a Mercedes VIN tell you?

The manufacturer code (WDD, W1K, WDC and others), Mercedes-Benz's own code for the model line, body, engine type and restraint systems, a check digit, the model year, the plant and a serial number. It doesn't tell you the options, the paint or the interior: those are on the factory build sheet, which we read from the VIN for $7.99.

Can I see a Mercedes's options from the VIN?

Not from the VIN itself: the options were never encoded in it. They're in Mercedes-Benz's production records, and the factory build sheet lists every option code with its description, plus the paint and the interior. We show you which vehicle the VIN is first, free; the build sheet is $7.99, only charged if Mercedes-Benz holds one.

Is there a free Mercedes VIN decoder?

For the structure, yes: NHTSA's decoder reads what Mercedes-Benz filed for any VIN, free, and this page explains each character. The identification in our form is free too. What no decoder can read is the options, the paint and the interior; the Mercedes-Benz build sheet that lists them is $7.99.

Why does my Mercedes VIN start with W1K and not WDD?

Both are Mercedes-Benz codes for passenger cars. NHTSA's list shows W1K from November 2019, beside the older WDD (and W1N beside WDC for SUVs). Of the US C-Class VINs we decoded, the 2020 starts WDD and the 2022 W1K. Neither code tells you anything about the options.

Does the build sheet show the Mercedes paint code?

Yes. Mercedes-Benz codes the paint, so it appears with the other codes, beside its name: 040U is black on the C 300 above.

How do I tell a Mercedes's model year from the VIN?

Look at position 10. On a vehicle built for the US it's always the model year, from a fixed table: L for 2020, N for 2022 and R for 2024. It matched the model year on every US Mercedes VIN we decoded. It's the model year, not the date the vehicle was built.

Does the build sheet work for every Mercedes?

We tested it on real US Mercedes-Benz vehicles before offering it: 4 of 4, model years 2016 to 2022, came back with 111 to 147 entries. Where Mercedes-Benz holds nothing for a VIN, you're told so and nothing is charged.

Can I get a Mercedes's service history from the VIN?

Not from us in the United States. When we tested real US Mercedes-Benz VINs, no dealer service records came back, so we don't sell a Mercedes-Benz service history check here. Ask the seller for the receipts and the maintenance booklet, and compare them with the maintenance schedule.

Get the Mercedes build sheet

Every option code, the paint and the interior, $7.99, only if Mercedes-Benz holds a build sheet.

Enter the VIN