Free VIN Decoder

Enter any 17-character Vehicle Identification Number to instantly decode the manufacturer, country of origin, model year, assembly plant, and more.

Free, no registration. Powered by the NHTSA vPIC API.

12,848
WMI Codes
22,596
Manufacturers
20
Countries

How a VIN is Structured

Every VIN has 17 characters, each with a specific meaning defined by NHTSA.

1
1
H
2
G
3
B
4
H
5
4
6
1
7
J
8
X
9
M
10
N
11
1
12
0
13
9
14
1
15
8
16
6
17
Positions 1–3: WMI (Manufacturer + Country) Positions 4–8: Vehicle Descriptor Position 9: Check Digit Position 10: Model Year Position 11: Assembly Plant Positions 12–17: Serial Number
Learn more: How to Read a VIN →

Explore VIN Components

WMI Codes

The first 3 characters identify the manufacturer. Browse 12,848+ WMI codes from every country.

Browse WMIs →

Countries of Origin

Position 1 encodes the manufacturing country. See which prefix belongs to each nation.

Browse Countries →

Model Year Codes

Position 10 encodes the model year with a letter or digit. Decode every code from 1980 to today.

Browse Years →

Assembly Plants

Position 11 is a manufacturer-specific plant code. Find out where your car was built.

Browse Plants →

Model Year Code Quick Reference

The character in VIN position 10 encodes the model year. Letters I, O, and Q are never used. Codes repeat every 30 years — a VIN from 1980 and one from 2010 both use the letter A.

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
2
2002
3
2003
4
2004
5
2005
6
2006
7
2007
8
2008
9
2009

Common VIN Questions

What is a VIN number?
A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique 17-character code assigned to every motor vehicle. NHTSA standardized the format in 1981. It encodes the manufacturer, country of assembly, vehicle type, model year, assembly plant, and a sequential production number.
Where do I find my VIN?
Your VIN appears on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), on the driver's door jamb sticker, your vehicle title, insurance card, and registration documents. It's also stamped on the engine block on older vehicles.
Why are the letters I, O, and Q never used in a VIN?
These letters are excluded because they can be confused with the numbers 1, 0, and each other — especially in handwriting or certain fonts. Avoiding them prevents transcription errors when recording VINs.
What is a WMI code?
A World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) is the first 3 characters of a VIN. It uniquely identifies the manufacturer and country of origin. The first character indicates the country region; the first two characters narrow it to a specific country; all three together identify the specific manufacturer.
How does the VIN check digit work?
Position 9 of the VIN is a mathematical check digit. NHTSA's algorithm assigns a numeric value to each letter and multiplies each character by a positional weight. The sum modulo 11 gives the expected check digit (X = 10). This lets computers detect typos in recorded VINs.
Read all VIN guides →