Editing Vehicle identification number (section)

==Components==
Modern VINs are based on two related standards, originally issued by the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) in 1979 and 1980: ISO 3779<ref>ISO 3779:2009 Road vehicles—Vehicle identification number (VIN)—Content and structure</ref> and ISO 3780,<ref>ISO 3780:2009 Road vehicles—World manufacturer identifier (WMI) code</ref> respectively. Compatible but different implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_05/49cfr565_05.html |title=United States Federal VIN Requirements (Title 49, Chapter V, Part 565) |publisher=Access.gpo.gov |access-date=2010-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527210905/http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_05/49cfr565_05.html |archive-date=2010-05-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The VIN consists of 17 characters, and only uses capital letters (excluding I, O and Q) and digits (0-9). It comprises the following sections:

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Standard
|style="width:5%"| 1
|style="width:5%"| 2
|style="width:5%"| 3
|style="width:5%"| 4
|style="width:5%"| 5
|style="width:5%"| 6
|style="width:5%"| 7
|style="width:5%"| 8
|style="width:5%"| 9
|style="width:5%"|10
|style="width:5%"|11
|style="width:5%"|12
|style="width:5%"|13
|style="width:5%"|14
|style="width:5%"|15
|style="width:5%"|16
|style="width:5%"|17
|-
!ISO 3779
|colspan=3|[[#World manufacturer identifier|World manufacturer identifier]]
|colspan=6|[[#Vehicle descriptor section|Vehicle descriptor section]]
|colspan=8|[[#Vehicle identifier section|Vehicle identifier section]]
|-
![[European Union]]<ref name="eudir76114">{{cite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/automotive/documents/directives/directive-76-114-eec_en.htm |title=Directive 76/114/EEC – Automotive – Enterprise and Industry |publisher=European Commission |access-date=2013-07-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930220154/http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/automotive/documents/directives/directive-76-114-eec_en.htm |archive-date=2013-09-30 }}</ref>
<small>more than 500 vehicles/year</small>
|colspan=3|[[#World manufacturer identifier|World manufacturer identifier]]
|colspan=6|Indication of "''the general characteristics of the vehicle''"
|colspan=8|Indication that provides "''clear identification of a particular vehicle''"
|-
![[European Union]]<ref name="eudir76114" />
<small>500 or fewer vehicles/year</small>
|colspan=2|[[#World manufacturer identifier|World manufacturer identifier]]
| 9
|colspan=6|Indication of "''the general characteristics of the vehicle''"
|colspan=3|[[#World manufacturer identifier|Manufacturer identifier]]
|colspan=5|Indication that provides "''clear identification of a particular vehicle''"
|-
![[North America]]
<small>more than 2,000 vehicles/year</small>
|colspan=3|[[#World manufacturer identifier|World manufacturer identifier]]
|colspan=5|[[#Vehicle descriptor section|Vehicle attributes]]
|[[#Check-digit calculation|Check digit]]
|[[#Model year encoding|Model year]]
|[[#Plant code|Plant code]]
|colspan=8|[[#Vehicle identifier section|Sequential number]]
|-
!North America
<small>2,000 or fewer vehicles/year</small>
|colspan=2|[[#World manufacturer identifier|World manufacturer identifier]]
| 9
|colspan=5|[[#Vehicle descriptor section|Vehicle attributes]]
|[[#Check-digit calculation|Check digit]]
|[[#Model year encoding|Model year]]
|[[#Plant code|Plant code]]
|colspan=3|[[#World manufacturer identifier|Manufacturer identifier]]
|colspan=3|[[#Vehicle identifier section|Sequential number]]
|}
[[File:VIN - Fahrgestellnummer IMG 0470.JPG|thumb|VIN in a [[GM T platform (1979)|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 {{mono|1G}} (assigned to [[General Motors]] in the United States), {{mono|1G1}} represents [[Chevrolet]] passenger cars; {{mono|1G2}}, [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]] passenger cars; and {{mono|1GC}}, Chevrolet [[truck]]s.

The [[Society of Automotive Engineers]] (SAE) in the US assigns WMIs to countries and manufacturers.<ref name=ISO3780>{{cite web |url=https://www.iso.org/standard/45844.html |title=ISO 3780:2009 Road vehicles – World manufacturer identifier (WMI) code |publisher=[[ISO]] |date=2009-10-05 |access-date=2010-09-27}}</ref>

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: When Adam Opel AG was still with General Motors, Opel/Vauxhall cars designed in that era used to carry a "German" WMI (e.g. W0L, W0V), because Adam Opel AG was based in Rüsselsheim, Germany, no matter if vehicles were produced in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom or Poland. When Opel changed hands and became part of PSA, this changed for newer models, which obtained "French" WMIs.)

Company mergers and acquisitions can lead to seemingly confusing allocations. For instance, Stellantis, the result of the merger of PSA (France) and FCA (Italy), is technically a Dutch corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. VIN numbers of European-made vehicles or their brands, though, still carry WMIs from France and Italy. Additionally, it may not be immediately obvious what particular local subsidiary of the corporation manages type approvals of vehicles and application for WMIs, since this does not necessarily depend on the perceived country association of the respective brand. For example, in at least one case, a model that was newly released years after the merger by an Italian brand (ex-FCA) carries VIN numbers with new French WMIs (the 2024 Lancia Ypsilon – incidentally manufactured in Spain). It is to be expected that assignment policies of this kind, often for unpublished reasons, can be found at other manufacturers as well.

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.<ref name="ISO3780" />

====Country or region codes====
{{As of|2021|April}}, ISO specifies the following codes per country :<ref>{{cite web |url=https://standards.iso.org/iso/3780/ed-4/en/Current%20WMI%20World%20Codes%20chart%204.13.21.pdf |title=WMI Country Code Distribution |publisher=ISO |date=2025-04-13 |access-date=2025-04-11}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!'''A–C = [[Africa]]'''
!'''H–R = [[Asia]]'''
!'''E, S–Z = [[Europe]]'''
!'''1–5, 7 = [[North America]]'''
!'''6 = [[Oceania]]'''
!'''8–9 = [[South America]]'''
|- valign="top"
|
'''AA-AH''' South Africa<br />
'''AJ-AK''' Côte d'Ivoire<br />
'''AL-AM''' Lesotho <br/>
'''AN-AP''' Botswana <br/>
'''AR-AS''' Namibia <br/>
'''AT-AU''' Madagascar <br/>
'''AV-AW''' Mauritius <br/>
'''AX-AY''' Tunisia <br/>
'''AZ-A1''' Cyprus <br/>
'''A2-A3''' Zimbabwe <br/>
'''A4-A5''' Mozambique <br/>
'''BA-BB''' Angola<br />
'''BC'''    Ethiopia<br/>
'''BF-BG''' Kenya<br />
'''BH'''    Rwanda<br/>
'''BL'''    Nigeria <br/>
'''BR'''    Algeria <br/>
'''BT'''    Swaziland<br/>
'''BU'''    Uganda<br/>
'''B3-B4''' Libya <br/>
'''CA-CB''' Egypt<br />
'''CF-CG''' Morocco<br />
'''CL-CM''' Zambia<br/>
|
'''H'''     China<br />
'''J'''     Japan<br />
'''KF-KH''' Israel<br />
'''KL-KR''' South Korea<br />
'''KS-KT''' Jordan<br />
'''K1-K3''' South Korea<br />
'''K5''' Kyrgistan<br />
'''L'''     China<br />
'''MA-ME''' India<br />
'''MF-MK''' Indonesia<br />
'''ML-MR''' Thailand<br />
'''MS''' Myanmar<br />
'''MU''' Mongolia<br />
'''MX''' Kazakhstan<br />
'''MY-M0''' India<br />
'''NA-NE''' Iran<br />
'''NF-NG''' Pakistan<br />
'''NJ''' Iraq<br />
'''NL-NR''' Turkey<br />
'''NS-NT''' Uzbekistan<br />
'''NV''' Azerbaijan<br />
'''NX''' Tajikistan<br />
'''NY''' Armenia<br />
'''N1-N5''' Iran<br />
'''N7-N8''' Turkey<br />
'''PA-PC''' Philippines<br />
'''PF-PG''' Singapore<br />
'''PL-PR''' Malaysia<br />
'''PS-PT''' Bangladesh<br />
'''PV''' Cambodia<br />
'''P5-P0''' India<br />
'''RA-RB''' United Arab Emirates<br />
'''RF-RK''' Taiwan<br />
'''RL-RN''' Vietnam<br />
'''RL-RN''' Vietnam<br />
'''RP''' Laos<br />
'''RS-RT''' Saudi Arabia<br />
'''R1-R7''' Hong Kong
|
'''E''' Russia<br/>
'''SA-SM''' United Kingdom<br />
'''SN-ST''' Germany <small>(former East Germany)</small><br />
'''SU-SZ''' Poland<br />
'''S1-S2''' Latvia<br />
'''S3''' Georgia<br />
'''S4''' Iceland<br />
'''TA-TH''' Switzerland<br />
'''TJ-TP''' Czech Republic<br />
'''TR-TV''' Hungary<br />
'''TW-T2''' Portugal<br />
'''T3-T5''' Serbia<br/>
'''T6'''    Andorra<br/>
'''T7-T8''' Netherlands<br/>
'''UA-UC''' Spain<br/>
'''UH-UM''' Denmark<br />
'''UN-UR''' Ireland<br />
'''UU-UX''' Romania<br />
'''U1-U2''' North Macedonia<br />
'''U5-U7''' Slovakia<br />
'''U8-U0''' Bosnia and Herzegovina<br />
'''VA-VE''' Austria<br />
'''VF-VR''' France<br />
'''VS-VW''' Spain<br />
'''VX-V2''' France<br />
'''V3-V5''' Croatia<br />
'''V6-V8''' Estonia<br />
'''W''' Germany <small>(former West Germany)</small><br />
'''XA-XC''' Bulgaria<br />
'''XD-XE''' Russia<br/>
'''XF-XH''' Greece<br />
'''XJ-XK''' Russia<br/>
'''XL-XR''' Netherlands<br />
'''XS-XW''' Russia <small>(former USSR)</small><br />
'''XX-XY''' Luxembourg<br />
'''XZ-X0''' Russia<br />
'''YA-YE''' Belgium<br />
'''YF-YK''' Finland<br />
'''YN''' Malta<br />
'''YS-YW''' Sweden<br />
'''YX-Y2''' Norway<br />
'''Y3-Y5''' Belarus<br />
'''Y6-Y8''' Ukraine<br />
'''ZA-ZU''' Italy<br />
'''ZX-ZZ''' Slovenia<br />
'''Z1'''    San Marino<br/>
'''Z3-Z5''' Lithuania<br />
'''Z6-Z0''' Russia
|
'''1''' United States<br />
'''2''' Canada<br />
'''3A-3X''' Mexico<br />
'''34''' Nicaragua<br/>
'''35''' Dominican Republic<br/>
'''36''' Honduras<br/>
'''37''' Panama<br/>
'''38-39''' Puerto Rico<br/>
'''4''' United States<br />
'''5 ''' United States<br />
'''7''' United States<br />
|
'''6''' Australia<br />
'''6Y-61''' New Zealand
|
'''8A-8E''' Argentina<br />
'''8F-8G''' Chile<br />
'''8L-8N''' Ecuador<br />
'''8S-8W''' Peru<br />
'''8X-8Z''' Venezuela<br />
'''82''' Bolivia<br />
'''82''' Costa Rica<br />
'''9A-9E''' Brazil<br />
'''9F-9G''' Colombia<br />
'''9S-9V''' Uruguay<br />
'''91–90''' Brazil<br />
|}

===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 [[car body styles|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 calculation|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 of 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 Motor Company|Ford]] and [[American Motors Corporation|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.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! 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 {{convert|10000|lb|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/565.15 |title=49 CFR § 565.15 – Content requirements |work=[[Legal Information Institute]] |publisher=Cornell University |location=US |access-date=2021-06-04}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=Seems wrong as e.g. a 2013 Volvo V60 has YV1xxx7xxDxxxxxxx|date=May 2017}} 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 {{convert|10000|lb|abbr=on}}, 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.

{{anchor|Check-digit calculation}}