Free VIN decoder
Enter a 17-character VIN and see what it encodes: manufacturer, model, model year, trim, engine, body style, drivetrain and the plant where the car was built. The decode comes from NHTSA's vPIC database, the same source manufacturers report to. No payment, no account.
How a VIN is built
Every vehicle sold in the United States since model year 1981 carries a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number laid out the same way. Once you know the layout you can read the basics off the number itself.
| Positions | Name | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) | Who built the vehicle and in which country or region. 1, 4 and 5 are the United States, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, J is Japan, K is South Korea, W is Germany. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle Descriptor Section | Model, body style, engine, restraint system and similar attributes. Each manufacturer uses its own codes here, which is why a decoder needs a database. |
| 9 | Check digit | A number calculated from the other sixteen characters. On vehicles built for North America it must match, so a mistyped VIN is caught before any lookup. |
| 10 | Model year | One letter or digit per year. A = 1980 or 2010, B = 1981 or 2011, and so on; the letters I, O, Q, U and Z and the digit 0 are skipped. |
| 11 | Assembly plant | The factory where the vehicle was assembled, coded by the manufacturer. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | The production sequence number that makes the VIN unique. |
The VIN never contains history. Recalls, complaints, crash-test results and prices live in separate databases that are looked up by the make, model and year the VIN decodes to. That is what the CarHenry report adds on top of the free decode.
Where to find the VIN
- Base of the windshield, driver's side. Look through the glass at the corner of the dashboard.
- Driver's door-jamb sticker. The certification label near the latch repeats the VIN with the build date and tire pressures.
- Title, registration and insurance card. The paperwork must match the car exactly.
- Online listing. Most dealer listings publish the VIN; a private seller who refuses to share it before a viewing is a reason to be careful.
Read the full guide with what to do if two VINs don't match.
Free recall check
Want to know whether this vehicle has recalls on file? The free recall check lists every NHTSA recall campaign for the make, model and year.
Check the car before you pay for it
Free decode first, then the full report for $9.90: recalls, complaints, ratings, market price range and known faults. No subscription.