How to read a VIN: 17 characters, model year, country and check digit

A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a car's 17-character identification number. It tells you where and by whom the car was built, which model year it is and whether the number itself is written correctly. On a car bought at auction it is the first thing to check.

Where to find the VIN

• On a plate at the lower left corner of the windscreen, readable from outside.

• On a sticker on the driver's door frame.

• In the registration certificate and the auction documents.

• Often also stamped on the body or in the engine bay.

Every location must show the same number. Even a one-character difference is reason enough to find out why before you buy.

The 17 characters, position by position

Common first characters: 1, 4 and 5 USA, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, J Japan, K Korea, W Germany.

The tenth character: model year

The letters I, O, Q, U, Z and the digit 0 are not used for the year, and the table repeats every 30 years: A also meant 1980. On an older car, confirm the year by the body design as well. The model year may differ from the build date: a car built in autumn 2019 is often already a 2020 model.

The check digit: how it exposes a mistake

On North American market cars the ninth character is calculated from the other 16: each letter and digit gets a number, multiplied by the weight of its position, the products are added up, the sum is divided by 11 and the remainder is the check digit (a remainder of 10 is written as X). A single wrong character changes it.

Our example is made up, and the check digit shows it: position 9 should read 7, not 0. This is how a fake or miscopied VIN gives itself away.

Why there is no I, O or Q

These three letters are never used in a VIN so that they cannot be confused with 1 and 0. If you see one of them in a document or a listing, the VIN has been written down wrongly.

European and Japanese cars

On European market cars the tenth character does not always mean the year, and the check digit is not mandatory. Japanese domestic market right-hand-drive cars often carry a chassis number instead of a 17-character VIN, for example ZVW30-1234567. On North American market cars both rules always apply.

Checking the history by VIN

Decoding a VIN only shows the factory data. For accidents, mileage and auction history you need a full report, which you can get on proauto.ge on the VIN check page.

Frequently asked questions

How many characters does a VIN have?

17. It has been mandatory in the US since 1981, and the standard is described in ISO 3779.

How do I find a car's year from its VIN?

By the tenth character: L 2020, M 2021, N 2022 and so on. On European cars this rule does not always apply.

How do I check whether a VIN is fake?

Compare the number in every location, look for I, O and Q, and on a North American car verify the check digit.