Your Car's VIN Can Tell You a Lot About It

Your car is uniquely designed, and it's one of its kind. While there are hundreds of vehicles with a similar model and make of your vehicle on the road, your car still is unique. So, in a situation where there are thousands of other vehicles with similar models and features, how would you be able to set yours apart? The simple answer is to use your car's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). A VIN is a unique 17-digit code made of characters and numbers that a vehicle manufacturer gives to an individual vehicle.

Usually, a Vehicle Identification Number can tell a lot about your car, including their country of origin, airbag type, model & trim level, body style, engine type & size, plant name, vehicle type, and safety type equipment installed in the car. The vehicle's VINs are essentially your car's key to safety. It is also one of the most critical considerations when purchasing a used car – it helps you check the car's authenticity by looking at the VIN database. It's also a vital item to perform insurance analysis of the vehicle. The Vehicle Identification Number is mounted on the dashboard close to the driver-side door jamb or the windshield.

The Contents of a VIN

In the past, VINs were not standardized and varied from manufacturer to manufacturer. In the United States today, all VINs follow the same format outlined by the government. These long streams of characters contain lots of information from which manufacturers created a particular car to what kind of engine is on the hood and where it was built. The Vehicle Identification Number information is categorized into distinctive groups that you can use to check any vehicle detail, including fraud detection.

The VIN Decoded

The first group contains three digits and characters that showcase the World Manufacturer Identifier – WMI. In this category, the first character or number indicates the vehicle's county of origin. Cars manufacturers in the U.S begin with 1, 4, or 5. Japan starts with J, German starts with W, England starts with S, and Canada starts with 2.

The second category in the group shows the manufacture of the automobile. Mostly, it is a letter that starts the manufacturer's name. In this case, B stands for BMW, A for Audi, L for Lincoln, N for Nissan, G for General Motors, and more. However, A can also represent Mitsubishi or Jaguar, and an R could mean an Audi. The third number is combined with the first two characters or digits to indicate the car or manufacturing division type.

The first set of three numbers is followed by six digits (number 4 to9) that give the vehicle's description. Position 4 – 8 identifies the vehicle's body type, engine code, model, transmission type, and restraint system. The last number (9) on this category is a checklist often used to identify invalid Vehicle Identification Numbers. The number that appears in this position varies depending on a unique mathematical technique used by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The 10th and last category consists of eight characters, position 10 to 17. Position 10 contains a symbol showing the model year. Letter B – Y matches model years 1981 – 2000. The numbers 1 to 9 correspond to model years 2001 – 2009. The alphabet resumed, starting from letter A for model years 2010 through to 2030.

The digit in number 11 shows the manufacturer's plant (each manufacturer has its unique set of plant codes) where the vehicle was assembled. The last six numbers, 12 to 17, indicate the production sequence number given to each car after assembling.