Free VIN Decoder: Instant VIN Number Lookup

What the free VIN decoder shows

It reads what the factory wrote into the VIN. Mileage, damage and theft records come from registers, insurers and garages, so they are in a paid history report.

Free VIN decoderFree

Maker and country of manufacture
Model year, where the maker codes it
Model, generation and engine for many cars
Trim, body, engine size and plant for US-market cars

Full history reportFrom €14.39 per report

Mileage readings over time
Damage and accident records
Theft records
Photos from past adverts
Registrations in other countries

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How to read a VIN

17 characters in the ISO 3779 layout, used in North America since 1981 and in Europe and most other markets. The letters I, O and Q are never used.

TMB1–3
Maker and country
The world manufacturer identifier (WMI): W is Germany, J Japan, 1, 4 and 5 the USA; TMB is Škoda, WBA BMW.
AH7NP4–8
Model, body and engine
Model line, body, engine or restraints, coded each maker’s own way. Z or X often means “not coded”.
69
Check digit
Calculated from the other 16 characters. Required in North America, where a wrong one means a typo.
K10
Model year
K is 2019, S 2025, T 2026. Required in North America, optional for European makers.
711
Assembly plant
The factory, in each maker’s own code list.
01678812–17
Serial number
The car’s own production number.

Model year codes (10th character)The same code comes back every 30 years: A is 1980 or 2010.

A2010 · 1980
B2011 · 1981
C2012 · 1982
D2013 · 1983
E2014 · 1984
F2015 · 1985
G2016 · 1986
H2017 · 1987
J2018 · 1988
K2019 · 1989
L2020 · 1990
M2021 · 1991
N2022 · 1992
P2023 · 1993
R2024 · 1994
S2025 · 1995
T2026 · 1996
V2027 · 1997
W1998
X1999
Y2000
12001
22002
32003
42004
52005
62006
72007
82008
92009

First characters by country (WMI)The first character is the region, the first two usually the country.

A–H Africa

AA–AH South Africa

J–R Asia

J Japan · KL–KR South Korea · L China · MA–ME India · MF–MK Indonesia · ML–MR Thailand · PL–PR Malaysia · RF–RG Taiwan

S–Z Europe

SA–SM United Kingdom · SN–ST and W Germany · SU–SZ Poland · TA–TH Switzerland · TJ–TP Czech Republic · TR–TV Hungary · TW Portugal · UU–U7 Romania · VA–VE Austria · VF–VR France · VS–VW Spain · XL–XM Netherlands · X3–X0 Russia · YA–YE Belgium · YF–YK Finland · YS–YW Sweden · ZA–ZR Italy

1–5 North America

1, 4, 5 United States · 2 Canada · 3 Mexico

6–7 Oceania

6A–6W Australia · 7A–7E New Zealand

8–9 South America

8A–8E Argentina · 8F–8J Chile · 9A–9E and 93–99 Brazil · 9F–9J Colombia

Where to find the VIN

On the car

Bottom of the windscreen, driver’s side
Driver’s door pillar
Stamped in the engine bay or under the front carpet

In the documents

Registration certificate, field E (EU and UK V5C)
US title, registration and insurance card
Service book and purchase invoices

All copies must match. One different character or grinding marks around the stamped number are a reason to stop before you pay.

VIN decoder by brand

Frequently asked questions

Is the VIN decoder really free?

Yes. Decoding needs no account and costs nothing. Only the history report (mileage readings, damage, theft and registration records) is paid, through carVertical.

What does a VIN decoder show?

It shows the maker, the country of manufacture, the model year where it is coded and, for many cars, the model, generation and engine. For US-market vehicles it adds the official NHTSA data: trim, body style, engine size, drive and plant.

Can a VIN tell me if a car was in an accident?

No. The VIN only identifies the car. Accidents, damage and mileage readings come from records filed under that VIN, and a history report is what searches them.

What do “sure” and “likely” mean in the result?

For European VINs the decoder compares the code with cars decoded before. “Sure” means at least 9 in 10 of those cars had the same version, “likely” means most of them did. Check the registration certificate or the full report to confirm it.

Why can’t my VIN be decoded?

A VIN has 17 characters and never the letters I, O or Q, so look for the digits 1 and 0. Cars built before 1981 and cars made for the Japanese market (frame numbers such as ZVW30-1234567) have no 17-character VIN. A number plate cannot be decoded: it belongs to the registration and can move to another car.

Why is there no model year for my car?

Many European makers do not code the model year in position 10, or use it their own way. Where the code has been unreliable the decoder leaves the year out instead of guessing.

Is my VIN stored?

Not by this site. To decode, your browser loads our code files and, for US-market VINs, asks the NHTSA service. Your last VINs stay only in your browser, for 30 days, so you can pick them again.

Sources and further reading

Editorial source review: 7 November 2026. Availability, access rules and terms may change. No vehicle report or paid purchase is implied by this date.