VIN decoder

How to decode a VIN

Every vehicle sold in the US since the 1981 model year has a 17-character VIN. The federal rule, 49 CFR 565, splits it into four sections. The decoder above reads them for you, and the table shows what each position means.

A VIN uses capital letters and digits only. The letters I, O and Q are never used, because they look like 1 and 0. If your VIN seems to contain one of them, it is a 1 or a 0: the decoder offers to swap them.

VIN year: model year codes

Position 10 is the model year. The codes repeat every 30 years, so each one can mean two years: T is 1996 or 2026. For cars, SUVs, vans and pickups up to 10,000 lb GVWR, position 7 settles it: a letter in position 7 means 2010 to 2039, a digit means 1980 to 2009. Heavy trucks, buses, trailers and motorcycles have no such rule, so the decoder shows both years when it cannot tell. The letters I, O, Q, U and Z and the digit 0 are not year codes.

The model year is the maker's model year, not the date the vehicle was built. A 2027 model can be built in 2026.

How the VIN check digit works

Position 9 is a check digit. It is calculated from the other 16 characters, so a VIN copied with one wrong character almost always fails the check. The rule, 49 CFR 565.15(c):

1. Give each character a value: digits keep their value; letters A to H are 1 to 8, J to N are 1 to 5, P is 7, R is 9, S to Z are 2 to 9.
2. Multiply each value by the weight of its position: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10 for positions 1 to 8, nothing for position 9, then 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 for positions 10 to 17.
3. Add the products and divide by 11. The remainder is the check digit; a remainder of 10 is written X.

Worked example, the sample VIN in the rule, 1G4AH59H45G118341: the products add up to 411. 37 times 11 is 407, so the remainder is 4, and 4 is the check digit in position 9. The table under the decoder shows the same working for any VIN you type.

The check digit is a US and Canadian requirement. Vehicles built for other markets, for example a car sold new in Europe, may not use one, so a failed check on such a VIN does not mean it is wrong.

What the NHTSA lookup shows

When you click Decode VIN, the page asks the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the US road safety agency, through its free vPIC service. Every maker that sells vehicles in the US must send NHTSA the information needed to decode its VINs (49 CFR 565.16), and vPIC decodes from that. You typically get the make, model, model year, trim or series, body style, engine size and cylinders, fuel type, drive type, GVWR for trucks, and the plant. Open "All fields" to see everything NHTSA returned.

NHTSA's own note: a missing value means NHTSA has no data on it, not that the vehicle lacks the feature. Some makers code more into the VIN than others, so the detail varies by make and year.

What a VIN does not tell you

• Options and colour. The VIN does not list the options or paint a vehicle was ordered with. Ask a dealer of the make for the build sheet.
• History. Accidents, title brands, mileage and owners come from paid vehicle history reports, not from the VIN itself.
• Recalls. Check open recalls by VIN on NHTSA's official site, nhtsa.gov/recalls.
• Vehicles before 1981. Older VINs were shorter and each maker had its own format, so the breakdown above does not apply to them.

VIN decoders by make

These pages read a 2026 VIN with the maker's own codes from its NHTSA filing: Ford, Chevy, GM, Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, Tesla, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, VW, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, Land Rover.

VIN decoding by make: Ford, GM, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and others

Every make follows the same 17-character layout, so this decoder works for all of them. The first 3 characters tell you the maker. Some examples, as listed in NHTSA's manufacturer database:

Positions 4 to 8 and 11 are each maker's own code, which is why the same position means different things on a Ford and on a BMW. The NHTSA lookup reads each maker's code for you.

Where to find the VIN

On cars, SUVs, vans and pickups the VIN is on a plate inside the vehicle that you can read through the windshield from outside, at the lower corner on the driver's side (49 CFR 565.13). It is also on the label in the driver's door frame on most vehicles, and on the title, registration and insurance papers.

Privacy

The breakdown, year and check digit are worked out in your browser. Only when you click Decode VIN is the VIN, with the model year when it is known, sent to NHTSA. This site does not store it. A VIN identifies a vehicle, not its owner.

Questions

More calculators