Free Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Decoder & Lookup

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What is VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)?

VIN is a unique serial number used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles. In 1981 the format for VIN was standadized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States. It required all over-the-road-vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which do not include the letters I (i), O (o), or Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0).

Nowadays, there are two related standards for Vehicle Identification Number systems. They are originally issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1979 and 1980; ISO 3779 and ISO 3780, respectively. Compatible but somewhat different implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States of America.

The VIN is 17 characters long and is composed of 3 main sections:

WMI - World Manfacturer Identifier - The first three characters that uniquely identify the manufacturer of the vehicle
VDS - Vehicle Descriptor Section - The 4th to 9th positions are 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.
VIS - Vehicle Identifier Section - The 10th to 17th positions are used by the manufacturer to identify the individual vehicle in question. This may include information on options installed or engine and transmission choices.
The 9th digit from left has the special meaning in the VIN. It's always a check digit. The other digits and letters in the VIN go through a series of mathematical steps. The result is a digit (0, 1, ..., 9) or the letter X. The check digit allows you to tell immediately if there is an error in the VIN.

VIN is normally located in several locations on a car, but the most common places are:

On the door frame/door post of the front doors (usually driver's but sometimes passenger's)
On the dash near the windshield
On the engine itself (machined pad on front of engine)
On the car's firewall
In the left-hand inner wheel arch
On the steering wheel/steering column
On the radiator support bracket
On your car's title, registration, guarantee/maintenance book or on the declarations page of your auto insurance policy

What is a VIN Decoder?

VIN Decoder is an online tool designed to help car buyers and owners easily and quickly get all the data related to a particular car. To use this tool, you need to enter the VIN of the desired transport into the VIN decoder search bar and click the Decode button. Whether you need car statistics or information about the car you want to buy, click the decode button to see all the important details about the screen.

VIN Decoder is abosolutely FREE!

In most cases, when buyers go to the showroom and buy a car, they are uncertain about the characteristics of the particular vehicle. Sometimes they fear that they may end up buying a car with different features than what they expected. Sometimes they don't know the origin, model or even how old it is of a car. If you get into this confusing situation, the VIN decoder is your savior. It provides all the important data about the car you are buying, so eradicate all the fears you have.

How VIN Decoder Works?

The VIN decoder works easily. With extensive data on all vehicles, you can access and provide details about any carrier. Information about the vehicle stored in the VIN decoder includes functions such as engine, car make, model, transmission type, year of manufacture, location, and serial number. The data stored here is continuously updated and more data is added. Therefore, you can get accurate and up-to-date data about a particular car.

Therefore, identification of the VIN decoder can protect users from fraudulent vehicle transactions, especially when purchasing a car.

What does each digit mean in a VIN?

In the VIN number, the first digit shows the country where the vehicle was manufactured, the second and third digits shows the maker or the manufacturer, and the car type respectively. The fourth and the eighth characters represent the vehicle attributes such as brand and the size. The ninth digit represents the security code that classifies the VIN as approved by the maker. The tenth digit represents the model year of the vehicle, and the eleventh digit shows the authorized plant which assembled the vehicle. The last six characters represent the serial number.