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VIN decoder

Enter the 17-character vehicle identification number to see what the car is, whether a generic OBD reader will work on it, and where to start looking for a diagnostic tool. No VIN to hand? Choose the vehicle instead.

Decode a VIN

Found at the base of the windscreen, on the driver's door pillar and on the registration document (field E).

Only the first 11 characters are kept for your visit, never the serial number. To fill in the details, the VIN is sent to online vehicle data services such as NHTSA vPIC.

Choose the vehicle

How a VIN is built

Characters 1–3: manufacturer
The world manufacturer identifier. The first character gives the region (W Germany, V France and Spain, Z Italy, J Japan, 1–5 North America).
Characters 4–9: vehicle description
Model, body and engine, coded by each manufacturer in its own way. Character 9 is a check digit on North American and Chinese vehicles.
Character 10: model year
Required in North America. Many European makers use it too, but not all, so a year decoded from a European VIN is only probable.
Characters 11–17: plant and serial number
The assembly plant, then the number of this one car.