How To Read a VIN

When car dealerships present vehicle history reports to prospective buyers, this is all based on the Vehicle Identification Number. All vehicles made after 1981 include a VIN, which is located in various places on the vehicle, often on the door jamb, in the dash, and somewhere under the hood.

A VIN is Your Car’s Barcode

Just like a barcode, the way a VIN is formed is standardized. This means that every car’s VIN tells a story if you know what to look for. The first character on a VIN is a code indicating the country where the vehicle was built. The next character stands for the manufacturer. The character after that indicates the type of vehicle.

A standardized Vehicle Identification Number has 17 characters, and each one means something. The five characters after the three mentioned above indicate the vehicle brand, engine size, and type. Another character after that is a security code, followed by a single character for the model year. A single character also represents the plant that assembled the vehicle.

At the end of the identification number are six characters that indicate the serial number of the vehicle. This means that every car’s VIN can tell you at least seven facts about the vehicle. The key is to know what each letter or number means.

Decoding a Vehicle Identification Number

As mentioned above, how the VIN begins tells you where it was made. For example, if the vehicle ID starts with a 1, 4, or 5, that means it was made in the USA. If it begins with a 2, that means it was made in Canada. The letter J means that it was made in Japan. The next two characters indicate the manufacturer. However, the codes for brands under a parent company, like Dodge and Jeep, are different, although both are now part of Stellantis.

Characters four through eight on a Vehicle Identification Number include several details about the body and engine type. The ninth character is a security check that is determined through a complex equation using the rest of the VIN’s characters. This is used to authenticate the identification number. The 10th character is the model year, but it can be repetitive. For example, an R here could mean either 1994 or 2024.

The 11th character represents the plant where the vehicle was made, and the final characters make up the vehicle’s unique serial number that identifies it from any other vehicles of the same type.

Where To Find Your VIN

One of the most important things you can do when buying a used car is verify that the Vehicle Identification Number is the same in all places on the vehicle. The VIN is located in several places to help authenticate the vehicle. For example, if a scammer tries to replace one VIN, they will need to replace the others or remove them. Identification plates that don’t match or have been scratched off are a big red flag.

Places where you can find the VIN on your vehicle include the driver-side door jamb inside, the front of the engine block under the hood, and the driver-side interior dash. Older models might have a Vehicle Identification Number on the front end of the frame. The ID you find on the car’s body should obviously match its paperwork as well.

Ultimately, finding all the facts that your VIN tells you requires some research in decoding, but there are many online tools available to do just that, or head to car dealerships near you for some assistance.