What does each digit in a VIN mean?

A Vehicle Identification Number is a unique code that identifies motor vehicles, tow vehicles, motorcycles and scooters. Each VIN has 17 characters (comprising of digits and capitals) and acts as a vehicle’s fingerprint. The VIN is divided into sections that contain specific information about the car. The VIN is broken down into sections that provide specific information about the vehicle.

1. World Manufacturer Identifier – Digits 1-3:

• 1st digit: Identifies where the vehicle was produced. As an example, 1, 4 and 5 represent the USA, 2 represents Canada, J for Japan, etc.
• Second Digit: Represents manufacturer. For example, T for Toyota, F for Ford, V for Volkswagen, etc.
• The third digit: specifies the vehicle type or division of manufacturing. It identifies the manufacturer, division and specific model of the manufacturer.

2. Vehicle Descriptor Section – Digits 4-9.

• 4th – 8th Digits: Gives information on the vehicle type, body style and engine type. These digits are unique to each manufacturer.
• The 9th Digit is It’s the check digit that helps detect fraudulent VINs. This is a mathematical calculation that uses all of the digits to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the VIN.

3. Vehicle Identification Section (VIS) Digits 10-17:

• The 10th Digit indicates the model year. As an example, A = 1980 and B = 1981. Then 1 = 2001 then 2 = 2002 etc. up to 9 = 2009.
• 11th digit: Identifies where the vehicle was built. This is unique to the manufacturer.
• The 12th through 17th Digits represent the vehicle serial number. This unique number is assigned sequentially during production.

Summary of the VIN structure:

1. WMI (1-3): Country and manufacturer of the vehicle.
2. VDS (4-9: Vehicle Features and Check Digit.
3. VIS (10-17 ): Model number, assembly plant and serial number.

An example of a VIN is: 1HGCM82633A123456

• 1HG Honda manufactured by the USA
• CM826: Accord, 4-door sedan, 2.4L engine.
• 3: Check digit.
• 3 : model year 2003.
• A: Assembled at Marysville, Ohio (USA).
• 123456: Vehicle’s unique serial number.

Understanding the VIN provides a wealth of information on a vehicle’s history and origins. This is particularly useful when verifying authenticity.

The 10th digit in a Vehicle Identification number (VIN), indicates the year model of the vehicle. This table will help you to decode the vehicle model year using the 10th digit in the VIN.

Notes:

Model years are represented by specific letters and number in VINs. To avoid confusion, the letters “I”, ‘O”, ‘Q”, ‘U”, and Z are not used for VINs as 10th digits.

After 2009, year representations began again with “A” for 2010, then “B” in 2011 and so on.