Volkswagen VIN decoder · factory build sheet
VW VIN decoder — what a Volkswagen VIN says, then the options
A VW 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 VW it is, free. The factory build sheet lists every option as a three-character PR code with its description, the paint and the interior: $7.99, only charged if it exists.
Decode your VW 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
2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI, built for Europe
Paint
0Q0Q
Pure white
Other rows on the same sheet
- Interior
- Soul-black-tornado red (UG)
- 8T8
- Adaptive cruise control (with 'follow-to-stop') and speed limiter
- 2PT
- Leather-wrapped multi-function sports steering wheel, heated, with touch control and shifting paddles
How do I decode a VW VIN?
Volkswagen manufacturer codes (positions 1 to 3)
| Code | NHTSA lists it under | Vehicle type |
|---|---|---|
| WVW | Volkswagen AG | Passenger cars |
| WVG | Volkswagen AG | SUVs |
| 1VW | Volkswagen Group of America | Passenger cars |
| 1V2 | Volkswagen Group of America | SUVs |
| 3VW | Volkswagen de México | Passenger cars |
| 3VV | Volkswagen de México | SUVs |
Where a Volkswagen was built shows in its first three characters as well as in position 11. In the US VINs we decoded, the Passat and the Atlas built in Chattanooga, Tennessee, started 1VW and 1V2, and the Jetta and the Tiguan built in Puebla, Mexico, started 3VW and 3VV. WVW and WVG are Volkswagen AG's own codes for cars and SUVs.
Reading the rest of a US VW VIN
Positions 4 to 8 are Volkswagen's own code for the model line, body type, engine type and restraint systems, filed with NHTSA. We don't list them: Volkswagen 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 VW VINs we decoded with NHTSA's decoder:
| Code | Model (model year) | Position 11 | Built in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1VW | Passat (2017) | C | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| 1V2 | Atlas (2021, 2023) | C | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| 3VW | Jetta (2017) | M | Puebla, Mexico |
| 3VV | Tiguan (2019) | M | Puebla, Mexico |
What those VINs showed, not a full list of Volkswagen'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 VW 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 Volkswagen'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 VW build sheet
The factory build sheet is Volkswagen's own record of how one vehicle left the production line: every option as a three-character PR code with its description, the paint (with its code where Volkswagen records one), the interior and the transmission. No prices. A real one, in part:
- Paint
- Pure white (0Q0Q)
- Interior
- Soul-black-tornado red (UG)
- 8T8
- Adaptive cruise control (with 'follow-to-stop') and speed limiter
- 2PT
- Leather-wrapped multi-function sports steering wheel, heated, with touch control and shifting paddles
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 Volkswagen vehicles first: 5 of 5, model years 2017 to 2023, each with 141 to 189 entries.
Volkswagen doesn't offer its original window stickers online; the Volkswagen window sticker page explains what the build sheet gives you instead.
A free Volkswagen 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 VW VIN tell you?
The manufacturer code (WVW, WVG, 1VW and others), Volkswagen'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 VW's options from the VIN?
Not from the VIN itself: the options were never encoded in it. They're in Volkswagen's production records, and the factory build sheet lists every option as a three-character PR 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 Volkswagen holds one.
Is there a free VW VIN decoder?
For the structure, yes: NHTSA's decoder reads what Volkswagen 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 Volkswagen build sheet that lists them is $7.99.
What are VW PR codes?
PR codes, or PR numbers, are the three-character codes the Volkswagen Group uses for each option and equipment item, such as 8T8 for adaptive cruise control on the Golf above. They aren't in the VIN. The factory build sheet lists every one with its description, for $7.99.
Why do some Volkswagen VINs start 1V or 3V instead of WV?
Because a different Volkswagen company assigned them. NHTSA lists 1VW and 1V2 under Volkswagen Group of America and 3VW and 3VV under Volkswagen de México. In the US VINs we decoded, those were a Passat and an Atlas built in Chattanooga and a Jetta and a Tiguan built in Puebla. WVW and WVG are Volkswagen AG's.
How do I tell a VW'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 VW VIN we decoded. It's the model year, not the date the vehicle was built.
Does the build sheet work for every VW?
We tested it on real US Volkswagen vehicles before offering it: 5 of 5, model years 2017 to 2023, came back with 141 to 189 entries. Where Volkswagen holds nothing for a VIN, you're told so and nothing is charged.
Can I get a VW's service history from the VIN?
Not from us in the United States. When we tested real US Volkswagen VINs, no dealer service records came back, so we don't sell a Volkswagen service history check here. Ask the seller for the receipts and the maintenance booklet, and compare them with the maintenance schedule.
Related
More by VIN
- VIN decoder by makeThe 17 characters, explained
- Volkswagen window sticker by VINWhy there is no original online, and what to get instead
- Paint code by VINWhere the paint code is, and what the sheet records
- Volkswagen maintenance scheduleService intervals by VIN or engine, free
- Volkswagen common problemsRecalls, warranty extensions and complaints, free
- BMW VIN decoderManufacturer codes, model year and plant
- Mercedes-Benz VIN decoderManufacturer codes, model year and plant
Get the VW build sheet
Every option code, the paint and the interior, $7.99, only if Volkswagen holds a build sheet.
Enter the VIN