What a VIN is and how to check it
What the 17 characters of a VIN mean, where to find it, how to read the model year, and the red flags to check before you buy a car.
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A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is the unique 17-character code every car receives at the factory. No two cars share one. When you're buying a used car, the VIN is the simplest and most important way to confirm that what the listing says is true.
Where to find the VIN
- At the bottom-left corner of the windscreen, readable from outside;
- On the label on the driver's door pillar, visible when the door is open;
- Stamped into the body or a plate in the engine bay;
- On the vehicle registration certificate.
Every VIN on the car must match the others and the one on the documents exactly.
What the 17 characters mean
A VIN contains only digits and Latin letters. The letters I, O and Q are never used, so they can't be confused with 1 and 0.
- Characters 1–3 (WMI) — manufacturer and country. A VIN starting with J belongs to a car built in Japan, W in Germany, K in South Korea.
- Characters 4–9 (VDS) — model, body type, engine and other attributes. On cars built for North America, the 9th character is a check digit that lets you verify mathematically whether a VIN is genuine.
- Characters 10–17 (VIS) — the 10th usually encodes the model year, the 11th the plant, and the last six the serial number.
Reading the model year
The 10th character encodes the model year (North American standard, also used by many Asian manufacturers):
- A — 2010, B — 2011, C — 2012, D — 2013, E — 2014
- F — 2015, G — 2016, H — 2017, J — 2018, K — 2019
- L — 2020, M — 2021, N — 2022, P — 2023, R — 2024
- S — 2025, T — 2026
What a VIN check shows — and what it doesn't
A VIN decoder shows the car's factory data: manufacturer, model, year, body, engine and country of production. Compare it with the listing — if the listing says 2018 and the VIN says 2016, that's a serious red flag.
A decoder doesn't show accident history or mileage by itself. For cars imported from the USA or Europe, history reports are available from separate services — if you're buying one, it's worth checking its history by VIN too.
Red flags before you buy
- The VIN on the car doesn't match the documents;
- The VIN plate shows scratches, re-gluing, rivets or welding marks;
- The engine, year or body from the decoder doesn't match the listing;
- The seller won't show the VIN or send a photo of it.
How to check a VIN on Motoro
Enter the 17 characters on the VIN check page to see the manufacturer, model, year and other factory data for free. Then compare the result with the listing, and use our used car buying checklist for the full inspection.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters does a VIN have?
On cars built since 1981, a VIN has 17 characters: digits and Latin letters except I, O and Q.
How do I find a car's year from its VIN?
Look at the 10th character: for example, L is 2020, M is 2021, N is 2022, P is 2023 and R is 2024. Some European manufacturers don't encode the year consistently there, so use a decoder for those cars.
Can a VIN show a car's accident history?
A decoder shows only factory data. For cars imported from the USA or Europe, accident and mileage history can be checked by VIN with separate history services.
Is the VIN check free?
Yes, the VIN decoder on Motoro is free: enter the 17 characters to see the manufacturer, model, year and other factory data straight away.
