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How to Read the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Since then, all on-road vehicles sold in the United States have a VIN assigned to it. Other countries have also adopted the VIN format.

Interesting Fact: The Vehicle Identification Number does not use letters “I', “O” and “Q” to avoid confusion or misinterpretation (e.g., the number one and the letter “I” can be easily confused so only the number 1 is used).

The 17-character VIN is broken down into the following sections:

VIN Format Breakdown

Breakdown of the VIN:

  • Positions 1-3: World Manufacturer Identifier (or Manufacturer Identifier)
  • Positions 4-8: Vehicle descriptor
  • Position 9: Check digit
  • Position 10: Model year
  • Position 11: Plant code
  • Positions 12-17: Production sequence number

Manufacturer Identifier (Positions 1-3)

The first 3 characters of the VIN identifies the manufacturer of the vehicle. The Manufacturer Identifier (also known as the World Manufacturer Identifier or WMI) is a unique code assigned by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) for the country and manufacturer.

The following table shows the Manufacturer Identifier codes for vehicles in North America:

Manufacturer IdentifierCountryManufacturer
1BUnited StatesDodge
1CUnited StatesChrysler
1FUnited StatesFord
1GUnited StatesGeneral Motors
1G1United StatesChevrolet
1G3United StatesOldsmobile
1G4United StatesBuick
1G9United StatesGoogle
1GBUnited StatesChevrolet incomplete vehicles
1GCUnited StatesChevrolet
1GDUnited StatesGMC incomplete vehicles
1GMUnited StatesPontiac
1HGUnited StatesHonda
1JUnited StatesJeep
1LUnited StatesLincoln
1MUnited StatesMercury
1MRUnited StatesContinental
1NUnited StatesNissan
1VWUnited StatesVolkswagen
1YVUnited StatesMazda
1ZVUnited StatesFord
19UUnited StatesHonda
2DGCanadaOntario Drive & Gear
2FCanadaFord
2GXCanadaGeneral Motors
2G1CanadaChevrolet
2G2CanadaPontiac
2G9CanadaGnome Homes
2HGCanadaHonda
2HHCanadaAcura
2HJCanadaHonda
2HKCanadaHonda
2HMCanadaHyundai
2L9CanadaLes Contenants Durabac
2LNCanadaLincoln
2MCanadaMercury
2TCanadaToyota
3FMexicoFord
3GMexicoGeneral Motors
3HGMexicoHonda
3HMMexicoHonda
3KPMexicoKia
3NMexicoNissan
3VWMexicoVolkswagen
4FUnited StatesMazda
4JUnited StatesMercedes-Benz
4MUnited StatesMercury
4S2United StatesIsuzu Motors America Inc
4S3United StatesSubaru
4S4United StatesSubaru
4S6United StatesHonda
4TUnited StatesToyota
4USUnited StatesBMW
5FNUnited StatesHonda
5FRUnited StatesHonda
5J6United StatesHonda
5LUnited StatesLincoln
5N1United StatesNissan
5NMUnited StatesHyundai
5NPUnited StatesHyundai
5TUnited StatesToyota
5UUnited StatesBMW
5XUnited StatesHyundai / Kia
5YJUnited StatesTesla
55United StatesMercedes-Benz

For a complete list of Manufacturer codes, take a look at the Vehicle Identification Number article on Wikipedia.

Vehicle Descriptor (Positions 4-8)

The Vehicle Descriptor section is used to describe the information about the vehicle. Each manufacturer has their method of using this section describe the model and body style of the vehicle. Most manufacturers use the last character (position 8) in the Vehicle Descriptor to denote the engine type.

Check Digit (Position 9)

The Check Digit is used inconsistently by the manufacturer. According to Wikipedia, the check digit is compulsory for vehicles in North America and China, but not Europe.

Model Year (Position 10)

The model year of the vehicle is encoded in position 10 of the VIN. Using letters and numbers, the following table shows the model year of the vehicle.

Note that characters O, I, U and Z, and the number zero are not used in the model year code to avoid confusion and misinterpretation (e.g., the letter “V” and “U” may be misinterpreted so only the letter “V” is used and not the letter “U”).

CodeYearCodeYearCodeYearCodeYear
Y2000A2010L2020Y2030
12001B2011M202112031
22002C2012N202222032
32003D2013P202332033
42004E2014R202442034
52005F2015S202552035
62006G2016T202662036
72007H2017V202772037
82008J2018W202882038
92009K2019X202992039

Plant Code (Position 11)

This position is used in North America and China to encode the vehicle assembly plant. Each manufacturer has their own encoding for the plant code.

Production Sequence Number (Positions 12-17)

This section is used by the manufacturer to encode the vehicle's serial number or production number. The production sequence number is unique for each vehicle and like the Plant Code, each manufacture has their own sequence number format.

Reference

  1. Wikipedia – Vehicle Identification Number

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