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Decode any 17-character VIN to find the manufacturer, country, model year, body type, assembly plant, and check digit validity. Free client-side VIN lookup.
A VIN decoder breaks down a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number to reveal the manufacturer, country of origin, model year, body type, assembly plant, and serial number.
0/17 characters
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) |
| 4–8 | Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) |
| 9 | Check Digit |
| 10 | Model Year |
| 11 | Assembly Plant |
| 12–17 | Sequential Serial Number |
Formula
Check Digit = (Σ transliterated_value × weight) mod 11transliterated_value = Numeric value assigned to each VIN character (A=1, B=2, ... Z=9)
weight = Position-specific multiplier (8,7,6,5,4,3,2,10,0,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2)
Worked Example
Verifying VIN check digit for 1HGCM82633A004352
Did you know? The 17-character VIN standard (ISO 3779) was adopted in 1981. Before that, manufacturers used their own formats ranging from 5 to 13 characters. Today, there are over 1.4 billion unique VINs in the global vehicle registry.
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