There are vehicle history services in several countries that help potential car owners use VINs to find vehicles that are defective or have been written off.
History
VINs were first used in 1954 in the United States.[2] From 1954 to 1965, there was no accepted standard for these numbers, so different manufacturers and even divisions within a manufacturer used different formats. Many were little more than a serial number. Starting in January 1966 the US Government mandated that a 13-character VIN be used. This specification was phased in over several years. By January 1 1969 all cars sold in the US were required to have the 13 character VIN, but US manufacturers used them starting in January 1966. The 1966 US specification only stated that the year of manufacture, engine type, and a six digit unique number (with that being the last six characters) were required -- the individual manufacturers could use the remaining five spaces for whatever they liked.[3]. This was not much better than what was in use by some US manufacturers before 1966.
In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States standardized the format.[2] It required all on-road vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters O (o), I (i), and Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 0, 1, and 9). This was largely based on the ISO standard 3779, but is more stringent.
After the introduction of the ISO norm, the manufacturers which produced vehicles for the American market very quickly adjusted to this standard. The ISO introduced recommendations for applying the VIN standard and its structure, and the VIN was also used in Europe. However, the sets of information contained in it were introduced gradually. For example, Volkswagen started to encode bigger chunks of information during 1995–1997, and the control digit during 2009–2015 for selected models from the group. The VIN control digit is also used, although not in all brand-models. In the European vehicles, it can be found e.g. in Audi A1.[4]
Classification
There are at least four competing standards used to calculate the VIN.
FMVSS 115, Part 565: Used in United States and Canada[5]
ISO 3779: Used in Europe and many other parts of the world
ADR 61/2 used in Australia, referring to ISO 3779 and 3780[6]
Components
Modern VINs are based on two related standards, originally issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1979 and 1980: ISO 3779[7] and ISO 3780,[8] respectively. Compatible but different implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States.[9]
VIN in a GM-T-Platform body next to a passenger seat
World manufacturer identifier
The first three characters uniquely identify the manufacturer of the vehicle using the world manufacturer identifier or WMI code. A manufacturer who builds fewer than 1,000 vehicles per year uses a 9 as the third digit, and the 12th, 13th and 14th position of the VIN for a second part of the identification. Some manufacturers use the third character as a code for a vehicle category (e.g., bus or truck), a division within a manufacturer, or both. For example, within 1G (assigned to General Motors in the United States), 1G1 represents Chevrolet passenger cars; 1G2, Pontiac passenger cars; and 1GC, Chevrolet trucks.
The first character of the WMI is typically the region in which the manufacturer is located. In practice, each is assigned to a country of manufacture, although in Europe the country where the continental headquarters is located can assign the WMI to all vehicles produced in that region (Example: Opel/Vauxhall cars whether produced in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom or Poland carry a WMI of W0L because Adam Opel AG is based in Rüsselsheim, Germany).
In the notation below, assume that letters precede numbers and that zero is the last number. For example, 8X–82 denotes the range 8X, 8Y, 8Z, 81, 82, excluding 80.[11]
J Japan KA-KE Sri Lanka KF-KK Israel KL-KR Korea (South) KS-KT Jordan L China MA-ME,MH,MY-M0 India MF-MK Indonesia ML-MR Thailand MS Myanmar MU Mongolia MX Kazakhstan NA-NE Iran NF-NK Pakistan NL-NR Turkey NS-NT Uzbekistan NU-N0 unassigned PA-PE Philippines PF-PK Singapore PL-PR Malaysia PS-PT Bangladesh PU-P0 unassigned RA-RE United Arab Emirates RF-RK Taiwan RL-RP Vietnam RS-RT Saudi Arabia R1-R7 Hong Kong
SA-SM United Kingdom SN-ST Germany (former East Germany) SU-SZ Poland S1-S2 Latvia S3 Georgia S4 Iceland S5-S0 unassigned TA-TH Switzerland TJ-TP Czech Republic TR-TV Hungary TW-T2 Portugal T3-T5 Serbia T6 Andorra T7-T8 Netherlands T9-T0 unassigned UA-UC Spain UD-UG unassigned UH-UM Denmark UN-UR Ireland US-UT unassigned UU-UX Romania UY-UZ unassigned U1-U2 North Macedonia U3-U4 unassigned U5-U7 Slovakia U8-U0 Bosnia and Herzegovina VA-VE Austria VF-VR France VS-VW Spain VX-V2 France V3-V5 Croatia V6-V8 Estonia V9-V0 unassigned W Germany (former West Germany) XA-XC Bulgaria XD-XE Russia XF-XH Greece XJ-XK Russia XL-XR Netherlands XS-XW Russia (former USSR) XX-XY Luxembourg XZ-X0 Russia YA-YE Belgium YF-YK Finland YL-YM unassigned YN Malta YP-YR unassigned YS-YW Sweden YX-Y2 Norway Y3-Y5 Belarus Y6-Y8 Ukraine Y9-Y0 unassigned ZA-ZU Italy ZV-ZW unassigned ZX-ZZ Slovenia Z1 San Marino Z2 unassigned Z3-Z5 Lithuania Z6-Z0 Russia
1, 4, 5 or 7 United States 2 Canada 3A-3X Mexico 34 Nicaragua 35 Dominican Republic 36 Honduras 37 Panama 38-39 Puerto Rico 30 unassigned
6 Australia 6Y-61 New Zealand
8A-8E Argentina 8F-8K Chile 8L-8R Ecuador 8S-8W Peru 8X-82 Venezuela 82-82 Bolivia 83-80 unassigned 9A-9E Brazil 9F-9K Colombia 9L-9R Paraguay 9S-9W Uruguay 9X-92 Trinidad & Tobago 93–99 Brazil 90 unassigned
Vehicle descriptor section
The fourth to ninth positions in the VIN are the vehicle descriptor section or VDS. This is used, according to local regulations, to identify the vehicle type, and may include information on the automobile platform used, the model, and the body style. Each manufacturer has a unique system for using this field. Most manufacturers since the 1980s have used the eighth digit to identify the engine type whenever there is more than one engine choice for the vehicle. Example: for the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, U is for a 6.0-liter V8 engine, and E is for a 7.0-liter V8.
North American check digits
One element that is inconsistent is the use of position nine as a check digit, compulsory for vehicles in North America and China, but not Europe.
Vehicle identifier section
The 10th to 17th positions are used as the vehicle identifier section or VIS. This is used by the manufacturer to identify the individual vehicle in question. This may include information on options installed or engine and transmission choices, but often is a simple sequential number.
Model year encoding
The North American implementation of the VIS uses the 10th digit to encode the model year of the vehicle. Besides the three letters that are not allowed in the VIN itself (I, O and Q), the letters U and Z and the digit 0 are not used for the model year code. Outside North America the 10th digit is usually 0.
The year 1980 was encoded by some manufacturers, especially General Motors and Chrysler, as "A" (since the 17-digit VIN was not mandatory until 1981, and the "A" or zero was in the manufacturer's pre-1981 placement in the VIN), yet Ford and AMC still used a zero for 1980. Subsequent years increment through the allowed letters, so that "Y" represents the year 2000. 2001 to 2009 are encoded as the digits 1 to 9, and subsequent years are encoded as "A", "B", "C", etc.
Code
Year
Code
Year
Code
Year
Code
Year
Code
Year
Code
Year
A
1980
L
1990
Y
2000
A
2010
L
2020
Y
2030
B
1981
M
1991
1
2001
B
2011
M
2021
1
2031
C
1982
N
1992
2
2002
C
2012
N
2022
2
2032
D
1983
P
1993
3
2003
D
2013
P
2023
3
2033
E
1984
R
1994
4
2004
E
2014
R
2024
4
2034
F
1985
S
1995
5
2005
F
2015
S
2025
5
2035
G
1986
T
1996
6
2006
G
2016
T
2026
6
2036
H
1987
V
1997
7
2007
H
2017
V
2027
7
2037
J
1988
W
1998
8
2008
J
2018
W
2028
8
2038
K
1989
X
1999
9
2009
K
2019
X
2029
9
2039
On April 30, 2008, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration adopted a final rule amending 49 CFR Part 565, "so that the current 17 character vehicle identification number (VIN) system, which has been in place for almost 30 years, can continue in use for at least another 30 years", in the process making several changes to the VIN requirements applicable to all motor vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States. There were three notable changes to the VIN structure that affect VIN deciphering systems:
The make may only be identified after looking at positions one through three and another position, as determined by the manufacturer in the second section or fourth to eighth segment of the VIN.
In order to identify the exact year in passenger cars and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 or less, one must read position 7 as well as position 10. For passenger cars, and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000lb (4,500kg) or less, if position seven is numeric, the model year in position 10 of the VIN refers to a year in the range 1980–2009.[12][citation needed] If position seven is alphabetic, the model year in position 10 of VIN refers to a year in the range 2010–2039.
The model year for vehicles with a GVWR greater than 10,000lb (4,500kg), as well as buses, motorcycles, trailers and low-speed vehicles, may no longer be identified within a 30-year range. VIN characters 1–8 and 10 that were assigned from 1980 to 2009 can be repeated beginning with the 2010 model year.
Plant code
Compulsory in North America and China is the use of the 11th character to identify the assembly plant at which the vehicle was built. Each manufacturer has its own set of plant codes.
Production number
In the United States and China, the 12th to 17th digits are the vehicle's serial or production number. This is unique to each vehicle, and every manufacturer uses its own sequence.
Check-digit calculation
A check-digit validation is used for all road vehicles sold in the United States and Canada.
When trying to validate a VIN with a check digit, first either (a) remove the check digit for the purpose of calculation or (b) use a weight of zero (see below) to cancel it out. The original value of the check digit is then compared with the calculated value. If the calculated value is 0–9, the check digit must match the calculated value. If the calculated value is 10, the check digit must be X. If the two values do not match (and there was no error in the calculation), then there is a mistake in the VIN. However, a match does not prove the VIN is correct, because there is still a 1/11 chance that any two distinct VINs have a matching check digit: for example, the valid VINs 5GZCZ43D13S812715 (correct with leading five) and SGZCZ43D13S812715 (incorrect with leading character "S"). The VINs in the Porsche image, WP0ZZZ99ZTS392124, and the GM-T body image, KLATF08Y1VB363636, do not pass the North American check-digit verification.
Transliterating the numbers
Transliteration consists of removing all of the letters, and replacing them with their appropriate numerical counterparts. These numerical alternatives (based on IBM's EBCDIC) are in the following chart. I, O, and Q are not allowed in a valid VIN; for this chart, they have been filled in with N/A (not applicable). Numerical digits use their own values.
Transliteration key:values for VIN decoding
A: 1
B: 2
C: 3
D: 4
E: 5
F: 6
G: 7
H: 8
—
J: 1
K: 2
L: 3
M: 4
N: 5
—
P: 7
—
R: 9
—
S: 2
T: 3
U: 4
V: 5
W: 6
X: 7
Y: 8
Z: 9
S is 2, and not 1. There is no left-alignment linearity.
Weights used in calculation
The following is the weight factor for each position in the VIN. The 9th position is that of the check digit. It has been substituted with a 0, which will cancel it out in the multiplication step.
Weight factor table
Position
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Weight
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
0
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
Worked example
Consider the hypothetical VIN 1M8GDM9A_KP042788, where the underscore will be the check digit.
VIN
1
M
8
G
D
M
9
A
K
P
0
4
2
7
8
8
Value
1
4
8
7
4
4
9
1
0
2
7
0
4
2
7
8
8
Weight
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
0
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
Products
8
28
48
35
16
12
18
10
0
18
56
0
24
10
28
24
16
The VIN's value is calculated from the above transliteration table. This number is used in the rest of the calculation.
Copy the weights from the weight factor row above.
The products row is the result of the multiplication of the columns in the Value and Weight rows.
The products (8, 28, 48, 35 ... 24, 16) are all added together to yield a sum, 351.
The remainder is the check digit. If the remainder is 10, the check digit is X. In this example, the remainder is 10, so the check digit is transliterated as X.
With a check digit of X, the VIN 1M8GDM9A_KP042788 is written 1M8GDM9AXKP042788.
A VIN with straight-ones (seventeen consecutive 1s) has the nice feature that its check digit 1 matches the calculated value 1. This is because a value of one multiplied by 89 (sum of weights) is 89, and 89 divided by 11 is 8 with remainder 1⁄11; thus 1 is the check digit. This is a way to test a VIN-check algorithm.
VIN scanning
The VIN is marked in multiple locations: normally in the lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side, under the bonnet next to the latch, at the front end of the vehicle frame, and inside the door pillar on the driver's side.[13] On newer vehicles VINs may be optically read with barcode scanners or digital cameras, or digitally read via OBD-II.[14] There are smartphone applications that can pass the VIN to websites to decode the VIN.[15]
List of common WMI
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) assigns the WMI[16] (world manufacturer identifier) to countries and manufacturers. The following list shows a selection of world manufacturer codes.
Low Volume (Grey) Import Vehicles which don't have 17 Digit VIN. Uses NON ISO VIN with "Filler 0's between WMI & Non Iso VIN – I.e Japanese VIN PV35-400637 would become 6U90000PV35400637 see note below
6ZZ
Low Volume (Grey) Import Vehicles which don't have 17 Digit VIN. Uses NON ISO VIN with "Filler 0's between WMI & Non Iso VIN – I.e Japanese VIN PV35-400637 would become 6ZZ0000PV35400637 see note below
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
The International Bank Account Number (IBAN) is an internationally agreed upon system of identifying bank accounts across national borders to facilitate the communication and processing of cross border transactions with a reduced risk of transcription errors. An IBAN uniquely identifies the account of a customer at a financial institution. It was originally adopted by the European Committee for Banking Standards (ECBS) and since 1997 as the international standard ISO 13616 under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The current version is ISO 13616:2020, which indicates the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) as the formal registrar. Initially developed to facilitate payments within the European Union, it has been implemented by most European countries and numerous countries in other parts of the world, mainly in the Middle East and the Caribbean. By July 2024, 88 countries were using the IBAN numbering system.
An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs are used in ordering, cataloging, interlibrary loans, and other practices in connection with serial literature.
An International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) is a code that uniquely identifies a security globally for the purposes of facilitating clearing, reporting and settlement of trades. Its structure is defined in ISO 6166. The ISIN code is a 12-character alphanumeric code that serves for uniform identification of a security through normalization of the assigned National Number, where one exists, at trading and settlement.
A check digit is a form of redundancy check used for error detection on identification numbers, such as bank account numbers, which are used in an application where they will at least sometimes be input manually. It is analogous to a binary parity bit used to check for errors in computer-generated data. It consists of one or more digits computed by an algorithm from the other digits in the sequence input.
The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the "modulus 10" or "mod 10" algorithm, named after its creator, IBM scientist Hans Peter Luhn, is a simple check digit formula used to validate a variety of identification numbers. It is described in US patent 2950048A, granted on 23 August 1960.
In the United States, an ABA routing transit number is a nine-digit code printed on the bottom of checks to identify the financial institution on which it was drawn. The American Bankers Association (ABA) developed the system in 1910 to facilitate the sorting, bundling, and delivering of paper checks to the drawer's bank for debit to the drawer's account.
Code 128 is a high-density linear barcode symbology defined in ISO/IEC 15417:2007. It is used for alphanumeric or numeric-only barcodes. It can encode all 128 characters of ASCII and, by use of an extension symbol (FNC4), the Latin-1 characters defined in ISO/IEC 8859-1. It generally results in more compact barcodes compared to other methods like Code 39, especially when the texts contain mostly digits. Code 128 was developed by the Computer Identics Corporation in 1981.
A CUSIP is a nine-character numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies a North American financial security for the purposes of facilitating clearing and settlement of trades. All CUSIP identifiers are fungible, which means that a unique CUSIP identifier for each individual security stays the same, regardless of the exchange where the shares were purchased or venue on which the shares were traded. CUSIP was adopted as an American national standard by the Accredited Standards Committee X9 and is designated ANSI X9.6. CUSIP was re-approved as an ANSI standard in December 2020. The acronym derives from Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures.
ISO/IEC 7812Identification cards – Identification of issuers is an international standard published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It specifies "a numbering system for the identification of the card issuers, the format of the issuer identification number (IIN) and the primary account number (PAN)", and procedures for registering IINs. It was first published in 1989.
Registration authorities (RAs) exist for many standards organizations, such as ANNA, the Object Management Group, W3C, and others. In general, registration authorities all perform a similar function, in promoting the use of a particular standard through facilitating its use. This may be by applying the standard, where appropriate, or by verifying that a particular application satisfies the standard's tenants. Maintenance agencies, in contrast, may change an element in a standard based on set rules – such as the creation or change of a currency code when a currency is created or revalued. The Object Management Group has an additional concept of certified provider, which is deemed an entity permitted to perform some functions on behalf of the registration authority, under specific processes and procedures documented within the standard for such a role.
The International Standard Musical Work Code (ISWC) is a unique identifier for musical works, similar to ISBN for books. It is adopted as international standard ISO 15707. The ISO subcommittee with responsibility for the standard is TC 46/SC 9.
ISO 6346 is an international standard covering the coding, identification and marking of intermodal (shipping) containers used within containerized intermodal freight transport by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The standard establishes a visual identification system for every container that includes a unique serial number, the owner, a country code, a size, type and equipment category as well as any operational marks. The register of container owners is managed by the International Container Bureau (BIC).
On-board diagnostics (OBD) is a term referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability. In the United States, this capability is a requirement to comply with federal emissions standards to detect failures that may increase the vehicle tailpipe emissions to more than 150% of the standard to which it was originally certified.
The International Article Number is a standard describing a barcode symbology and numbering system used in global trade to identify a specific retail product type, in a specific packaging configuration, from a specific manufacturer. The standard has been subsumed in the Global Trade Item Number standard from the GS1 organization; the same numbers can be referred to as GTINs and can be encoded in other barcode symbologies, defined by GS1. EAN barcodes are used worldwide for lookup at retail point of sale, but can also be used as numbers for other purposes such as wholesale ordering or accounting. These barcodes only represent the digits 0–9, unlike some other barcode symbologies which can represent additional characters.
The UPU S10 standard defines a system for assigning 13-character identifiers to international postal items for the purpose of tracking and tracing them during shipping.
Production vehicles or production cars are mass-produced models of automobiles offered for sale to the public and can be legally driven on public roads. Legislation and other industrial rules define the production vehicle within particular countries or uses. There is no single fixed global definition of the term.
Number matching or matching numbers is a term often used in the collector car industry to describe cars with original major components, or major components that match one another.
The current vehicle registration plate system of Cuba was introduced in May 2013. Current plates are European standard 420 mm × 110 mm, completely replacing the previous system introduced in 2002. The international vehicle registration code for Cuba is C.
The ISO standard vehicle identification number (VIN) was introduced for the Porsche model year 1981.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
