QuickCheckToolsVIN lookup
Enter a vehicle identification number to check it's valid and see what the vehicle is: make, model, year, engine and where it was built. Free, using the US government's NHTSA vehicle database.
What a VIN tells you
Each of the 17 characters has a job. The first three identify the manufacturer, the 10th is the model year, and the 9th is a check digit that catches copying mistakes.
| Position | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1 | Country or region where the vehicle was built |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer and vehicle type (positions 1–3 together are the WMI) |
| 4–8 | Vehicle details: model, body, engine, restraints |
| 9 | Check digit, calculated from the other 16 characters |
| 10 | Model year |
| 11 | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | Serial number |
VIN model year chart
The 10th character gives the model year. The codes repeat every 30 years. For North American vehicles, the 7th character settles which: a number means the earlier year, a letter means the later one.
| 10th character | Model year | or |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1980 | 2010 |
| B | 1981 | 2011 |
| C | 1982 | 2012 |
| D | 1983 | 2013 |
| E | 1984 | 2014 |
| F | 1985 | 2015 |
| G | 1986 | 2016 |
| H | 1987 | 2017 |
| J | 1988 | 2018 |
| K | 1989 | 2019 |
| L | 1990 | 2020 |
| M | 1991 | 2021 |
| N | 1992 | 2022 |
| P | 1993 | 2023 |
| R | 1994 | 2024 |
| S | 1995 | 2025 |
| T | 1996 | 2026 |
| V | 1997 | 2027 |
| W | 1998 | 2028 |
| X | 1999 | 2029 |
| Y | 2000 | 2030 |
| 1 | 2001 | 2031 |
| 2 | 2002 | 2032 |
| 3 | 2003 | 2033 |
| 4 | 2004 | 2034 |
| 5 | 2005 | 2035 |
| 6 | 2006 | 2036 |
| 7 | 2007 | 2037 |
| 8 | 2008 | 2038 |
| 9 | 2009 | 2039 |
Questions
What is a VIN?
A Vehicle Identification Number is the 17-character code that identifies an individual car, truck or motorcycle. Every vehicle built since 1981 has one, and no two vehicles share the same VIN.
Where do I find my VIN?
Look at the bottom corner of the windshield on the driver's side, or on the sticker inside the driver's door frame. It is also printed on your registration, title and insurance documents.
Is this VIN lookup free?
Yes. The checks and the vehicle details are free. The details come from the US government's NHTSA vehicle database.
Why are I, O and Q never in a VIN?
They are left out so they cannot be mistaken for the numbers 1 and 0. If a VIN you have been given contains one of them, it has been copied wrongly.
Does this show accident or ownership history?
No. A VIN decode tells you how the vehicle was built: make, model, year, engine and plant. Accident, title and ownership history come from a paid vehicle history report.
Does it work for UK and European cars?
The format checks work for any VIN. The detailed decode comes from the US database, so it is most complete for vehicles sold in North America. Many European manufacturers do not use the check digit, and the tool tells you when that is the case.