VIN Decoder

Decode any 17-character VIN into make, model, year, engine, plant and safety features, with a check digit test.

VIN Decoder tool

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Example

Input: VIN 1HGCM82633A004352

Result: 2003 HONDA Accord EX-V6: Coupe, 2 doors, 6 cylinders, 3.0 L (2,999 cc), 240 hp, Automatic 5-speed, assembled in Marysville, Ohio, United States (USA). Check digit 3 is correct.

NHTSA vPIC returned error code 0 ("VIN decoded clean") for this VIN. The check digit is worked out on the page: the weighted sum of the other 16 characters, divided by 11, leaves a remainder of 3, which matches position 9.

What Each Part of a VIN Means

PositionMeaningIn 1HGCM82633A004352
1-3World manufacturer code (country and maker)1HG = Honda, United States
4-8Model, body, engine and restraintsCM826
9Check digit3
10Model year3 = 2003
11Assembly plantA = Marysville, Ohio
12-17Serial number004352

Layout set by US rule 49 CFR Part 565 and ISO 3779. The plant and year codes are decoded by NHTSA vPIC.

  1. Find the 17-character VIN on the dashboard, the door jamb sticker or your registration.
  2. Type or paste it into the VIN box. Spaces and dashes are removed for you.
  3. Add a model year only if the decoded year looks wrong.
  4. Press Decode VIN, or try the sample VIN first.
  5. Read the check digit result, then the vehicle, engine, plant and safety sections.

How to Read a 17-Character VIN

A VIN decoder turns a 17-character vehicle identification number into plain facts: the make, model, model year, engine, body style and the plant that built the car. Enter 1HGCM82633A004352, for example, and you get a 2003 Honda Accord EX-V6 coupe with a 3.0 L V6, built in Marysville, Ohio.

Every road vehicle made since 1981 has a 17-character VIN. The first three characters are the world manufacturer code, which shows the country and the maker. Characters 4 to 8 describe the model, body and engine. The 9th is a check digit, the 10th is the model year and the 11th is the plant. The last six are the serial number. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q, because they look too much like 1 and 0.

Before anything is sent, the tool checks the VIN on this page. It confirms the length and the letters, then works out the check digit from the other 16 characters. A wrong check digit on a North American VIN almost always means a typo. Cars built for other markets often skip the check digit, so there it is only a warning.

The decoding comes from vPIC, a database run by NHTSA, the US road safety agency. Your browser sends the VIN, and the model year if you add one, straight to NHTSA. The data is what makers file for vehicles sold in the US. Cars sold only in other countries may decode partly or not at all, and the tool shows NHTSA's own error messages when that happens. A VIN does not reveal the owner, the mileage or the accident history. To see safety recalls for the model, use the Vehicle Recall Check.

Formula / How It Works

Check digit = (sum of each character value x its position weight) mod 11, where a remainder of 10 is written as X. Weights for positions 1 to 17: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10, 0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Letters take values A=1 to H=8, J=1 to N=5, P=7, R=9, S=2 to Z=9.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Look through the windshield at the lower corner of the dashboard on the driver side. The VIN is also on a sticker in the driver door jamb, and on your title, registration and insurance card. Motorcycles usually have it stamped on the frame near the steering head. Copy all 17 characters.
The 9th character is a check digit. Each of the other 16 characters is turned into a number and multiplied by a weight for its position. The total is divided by 11, and the remainder, or X for 10, must match position 9. It catches most typos. North American VINs must pass it, but many other markets do not use it.
The 10th character is the model year code. The codes repeat every 30 years, so A means 1980 or 2010, and Y means 2000 or 2030. On cars and light trucks sold in North America, the 7th character tells the cycles apart: a digit there usually means 1980 to 2009, and a letter means 2010 or later.
NHTSA decodes VINs from data that makers file for vehicles sold in the US. If a car was built for another market, is rare, or has a mistyped character, some fields stay empty. The tool shows NHTSA's error message, such as a wrong check digit, and marks suspect positions with an exclamation mark.
No. A VIN describes how the vehicle was built, not what happened to it later. Owner names are private records held by motor vehicle agencies. Accident, title and mileage history come from paid vehicle history reports, which use the VIN to look up those records.

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