What does VIN number look like? A VIN is composed of
17 characters (digits and capital letters)
that act as a unique identifier for the vehicle. A VIN displays the car's unique features, specifications and manufacturer. The VIN can be used to track recalls, registrations, warranty claims, thefts and insurance coverage.
Is a VIN number always 17 digits?
How to Find Your Vehicle's VIN Number. Since 1981,
VIN numbers are always composed of 17 digits
consisting of numbers and letters. These digits are listed on a small tag, usually located on the driver's side of the dashboard, visible when looking through the windshield from outside.
How long is a VIN?
A VIN is composed of
17 characters
(digits and capital letters) that act as a unique identifier for the vehicle. A VIN displays the car's unique features, specifications, and manufacturer. Prior to 1981, VINs varied in length from 11 to 17 characters.
Is the VIN number the same as the vehicle ID number?
A vehicle identification number (VIN) is a vehicle's 17-digit name
. The vehicle id number is made up of characters and numbers the automobile manufacturer assigns to an individual vehicle, each with its own meaning. Normally found mounted on the driver-side dashboard by the windshield.
Is the vehicle serial number the VIN?
That's your vehicle's VIN or “vehicle identification number.” It's essentially your car, truck or SUV's unique code – a sort of specific serial number – that is used to identify where and when a vehicle was made as well as who made it. Actually,
the vehicle's specific serial number is located at the end of the VIN
.
You can get a free VIN check at
the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), VehicleHistory.com or iSeeCars.com/VIN
. Just pop in your car's digits and these sites will do the VIN lookup and give you information on the vehicle.
The last six digits of a VIN
reveal the vehicle's regular production options (RPO) and is also commonly referred to as its serial number
. While many car enthusiasts note that these last six digits represent the sequential production number (which is true), there's more to the story.
The eleventh digit
indicates which manufacturing plant your vehicle was assembled at
. The twelfth through seventeenth digits are the unique production serial number your vehicle receives on the assembly line.
The
10th character
in the 17-character VIN represents the vehicle model-year. This standard applies to vehicles built in or after 1981.
The 14-digit VIN
consists of the following elements: 113 describes the platform, in this case the “Pagoda”-SL produced from 1963 to 1971. The vehicle is commonly identified as “W113”, where W means “Wagen”, i.e. car.
The car's vehicle identification number (VIN) is the identifying code for a SPECIFIC automobile. The VIN serves as the car's fingerprint, as no two vehicles in operation have the same VIN.
A VIN is composed of 17 characters (digits and capital letters) that act as a unique identifier for the vehicle
.
Decoding your VIN can reveal a number of things about a car, including its country of origin, engine size, model year and trim level. Typically, the VIN is
stamped into a plate that's mounted on the dashboard near the windshield or on the driver-side door jamb
. It's also stamped on the engine's firewall.
The first three characters uniquely identify the manufacturer of the vehicle using the world manufacturer identifier or WMI code.
A manufacturer who builds fewer than 1,000 vehicles per year
uses a 9 as the third digit, and the 12th, 13th and 14th position of the VIN for a second part of the identification.
The 9th digit is reserved for the
check digit
. The check digit, found in position 9 of the VIN and compulsory for vehicles in North America, is used to validate a VIN. This is helpful for computers to immediately tell if there is an error or issue with the VIN.
A vehicle's identification number (VIN) is a unique identifier. The most common VIN format is the 17-digit VIN, which became standard for all vehicles manufactured since January 1981.
Vehicles manufactured prior to 1981 may have as few as 5 digits to as many as 13 digits
.
The fourth through eighth digits describe your vehicle's model, body type, restraint system, transmission type, and engine code.
The ninth digit is the check digit, which is used to detect fraudulent VINs
.
