VIN Decoder by Make

The first three characters: who built it, and where

The World Manufacturer Identifier is the part of a VIN you can read without a decoder. The first character is the region — 1, 4 and 5 are the United States, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, J Japan, K Korea, W Germany, S the United Kingdom, Y Sweden and Z Italy. The second is the maker and the third the division or vehicle type. These are the codes US shoppers meet most:

Reading the model year

Position 10. The digits 1–9 are 2001–2009; from 2010 the letters start over at A and skip I, O, Q, U and Z.

The same letters served 1980–2000, so an older car's A means 1980, not 2010. The tie-breaker is position 7: a letter there means the 2010-and-later series, a digit means 2009 or earlier.

Ford

Ford splits its codes by vehicle type, so the VIN tells you car (1FA), SUV (1FM) or truck (1FT) before anything else, with 2F for Canadian and 3F for Mexican assembly. Position 8 is the engine, and on an F-150 that one character is the difference between a 2.7L EcoBoost, a 3.5L EcoBoost and a 5.0L V8 — check it against the listing. Position 11 is the plant: F Dearborn, K Kansas City, U Louisville, G Chicago, R Hermosillo, 5 Flat Rock.

Before you buy: on 2011–2016 Focus and Fiesta automatics, 2013–2019 Escape and Fusion EcoBoosts and 2017–2020 3.5L EcoBoost trucks, the history report's service lines show whether the well-known transmission, coolant and cam-phaser issues were dealt with.

Toyota

A Toyota's origin is written in the code: JT is Japan (Prius, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, most Lexus), 4T1 Kentucky (Camry), 5TD Indiana (Sienna, Highlander), 5TF Texas (Tundra), 2T1 and 2T3 Ontario (Corolla, RAV4), 3TM Mexico (Tacoma), 5YF Mississippi (Corolla). Position 11 repeats the plant as a letter on North American cars — U Georgetown, S Princeton, X San Antonio, C Cambridge, W Woodstock, P Blue Springs — and as a digit on Japanese ones.

Before you buy: Toyotas hold value, which makes them the favourite target for rolled-back odometers and washed titles. Read the odometer timeline in the report, and on 2005–2010 Tacomas and 2000–2003 Tundras look for frame-rust inspection or replacement records.

Honda and Acura

1HG is a Honda car built in the US (Civic from Indiana, Accord from Ohio), 2HG Canada (Civic, CR-V from Alliston), 5FN and 5J6 US-built SUVs and minivans (Pilot, Odyssey, CR-V), JHM Japan. Acuras use 19U, 2HN, 5J8 and JH4. Position 11 is the plant: A Marysville, C Alliston, H East Liberty, L Lincoln (Alabama).

Before you buy: on 2008–2012 Accords and 2012–2015 Civics check for oil-consumption or engine work; on 2016–2018 1.5L turbo Civics and CR-Vs, oil-dilution service; and on 1999–2004 Odyssey, Accord V6 and Acura TL, transmission replacement.

Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac

General Motors uses the third character for the division: 1G1 Chevrolet car, 1GC Chevrolet truck, 1GN Chevrolet SUV, 1GT GMC truck, 1GK GMC SUV, 1G4 Buick, 1G6 Cadillac, with 2G for Canada, 3G for Mexico and KL for Korean-built models such as the Buick Encore and Chevrolet Trax. Positions 5–7 identify the series and, on trucks, the cab, bed and drive.

Before you buy: 2007–2013 5.3L V8s with Active Fuel Management (lifter failures and oil consumption), 2014–2019 8-speed automatics (shudder), and 2010–2015 2.4L Equinox and Terrain (oil consumption, timing chains) are the ones whose repair history matters most.

Nissan and Infiniti

1N4 is a US-built Nissan car (Altima, Sentra, Maxima from Tennessee and Mississippi), 1N6 a US-built truck (Frontier, Titan), 5N1 a US-built SUV (Rogue, Pathfinder, Murano), JN1 and JN8 Japan, 3N1 Mexico. Infiniti is JNK, JN1 and 5N3.

Before you buy: the CVT. On 2013–2018 Altima, Sentra, Rogue, Pathfinder and Murano, look for CVT fluid services and any replacement under Nissan's extended coverage; a shudder or whine on the test drive plus no CVT work on record is a walk-away.

Hyundai, Kia and Genesis

KMH is a Hyundai built in Korea, 5NP Alabama (Sonata, Elantra, Santa Fe), KNA and KND Kia built in Korea, 5XY and 5XX Kia from West Point, Georgia (Sorento, Telluride, Optima/K5). Genesis uses KMT and KMU.

Before you buy: the 2.0L and 2.4L Theta II engines in 2011–2019 Sonata, Santa Fe, Optima and Sorento were recalled for bearing failure and many were replaced; the report shows whether this VIN got a new engine. Also check the 2011–2021 anti-theft software update on models without an immobiliser.

Tesla

5YJ is Fremont, California (Model S, 3, X, Y), 7SA Austin, Texas (Model Y, Cybertruck), LRW Shanghai (not sold new in the US) and XP7 Berlin. Position 4 is the model letter (S, 3, X, Y), position 7 the motor and drive, position 8 the battery and restraint code. Tesla does not use a conventional plant letter at position 11; the code is the plant.

Before you buy: Teslas are repaired at a smaller number of shops and insurers total them readily, so a salvage or rebuilt brand is common on cheap listings. Check the title history, and ask for a battery-health screenshot alongside the report.

Mercedes-Benz

WDD and (from 2020) W1K are passenger cars, WDC and W1N SUVs built in Europe, and 4JG SUVs from Tuscaloosa, Alabama — the ML, GLE, GL and GLS. Position 11 is the plant: A Sindelfingen, F Bremen, R East London (South Africa), N Kecskemét (Hungary), X Graz (G-Class). A quick grey-import test: if position 10 is a 1 or a 2, the VIN follows the European pattern (steering side, not model year) and the car was not built for North America.

Before you buy: on 2005–2008 V6 and V8 cars look for balance-shaft or idler-gear work, on 2004–2012 7-speed automatics for conductor-plate or valve-body repairs, and on any model with AIRMATIC for compressor and strut replacements. Options are not in the VIN — compare the window sticker with what you're being charged for.

Porsche

Only two codes: WP0 for 911, Boxster, Cayman, Panamera and Taycan, WP1 for Cayenne and Macan. Position 11 is the plant — S Zuffenhausen, L Leipzig, U Valmet in Finland (Boxster and Cayman 1997–2011), K Osnabrück (2012–2016). If positions 4–6 read ZZZ, the car was built for a market outside North America.

Before you buy: on 1997–2008 water-cooled engines the single most valuable line in a service history is an IMS bearing retrofit; on 2003–2006 Cayennes, coolant-pipe replacement. Low mileage on a Porsche often means long storage, so read the service dates, not just the miles.

BMW and MINI

WBA is a BMW car built in Germany, WBS an M car, WBY an i model, 5UX and 5YM the SUVs built in Spartanburg, South Carolina (X3 through X7), 3MW Mexico (3 Series, 2 Series) and WMW MINI from Oxford. Positions 4–7 are BMW's model code and position 8 the drive and body.

Before you buy: N20 and N26 four-cylinders of 2012–2015 (timing-chain guides), N54 and N63 turbo engines (fuel injectors, valve stem seals, oil consumption) and electric water pumps on most 2007–2013 sixes are the expensive items; invoices for them in the report are good news.

Everyone else

The decoder above reads every make, including the ones not listed here — Mazda (JM1, 3MZ), Volkswagen (WVW, 3VW), Audi (WAU, WA1), Volvo (YV1, YV4), Jeep and Ram (1C4, 1C6), Subaru (JF1, 4S4), Lexus (JTH, 2T2), Land Rover (SAL) and Jaguar (SAJ). Whatever the make, the rule is the same: the VIN tells you how the car was built, and only the history report tells you what happened to it afterwards.

Guides that pair with this tool

• How to read a VIN number — every character explained for shoppers.
• How to spot a flood-damaged car — the checks to run after hurricane season.
• Used car buying checklist — 27 things to check before you pay.
• Salvage titles explained — when a branded title is a bargain and when to walk away.
• Plain VIN decoder · Window sticker lookup · Browser extension

Frequently asked questions