MINI VIN decoder

Paste a MINI VIN and see the model year, model, body, engine and the plant it was built in, from the record MINI files with NHTSA. Free, no email, and the VIN goes only to NHTSA’s decoder, never to WhichTrim.

MINI vehicle identification number

17 characters. The letters I, O and Q never appear in a VIN. Find it on the driver's-side dashboard, the door jamb, your insurance card or the title.

Photo: Samuel Regan-Asante / Unsplash

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MINI’s manufacturer codes (WMI)

Source: NHTSA vPIC

MINI files 2 manufacturer codes with NHTSA. The first three characters of a MINI VIN are one of them: they say who built the vehicle, what kind it is, and in which country. Built in Germany (2 codes).

Code	Vehicle type	Built in	Filed by
WMW	Cars	Germany	Bmw Ag
WMZ	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Germany	Bmw Ag

What each character means on a MINI

Source: 49 CFR 565

Every MINI VIN since the 1981 model year follows the federal format. Positions 4 to 8 are MINI’s own code for the model, body, engine and restraints; the decoder reads them from MINI’s filing, so they need no table here.

Position	Section	What it tells you
1–3	World manufacturer identifier	Who built it and where. 1, 4 and 5 are the United States, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, J Japan, K South Korea, W Germany, S the United Kingdom.
4–8	Vehicle descriptor	Model, body style, restraint system, engine — the section that makes a VIN say which car this is rather than which unit.
9	Check digit	A checksum of the other sixteen characters. A VIN that fails it has been mistyped or invented.
10	Model year	A letter or digit, not the year itself: N is 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026. I, O, Q, U and Z are never used.
11	Assembly plant	The manufacturer's code for the factory that built this vehicle.
12–17	Serial number	The unit's own sequence number on that line.

Model year	Code (position 10)
2030	Y
2029	X
2028	W
2027	V
2026	T
2025	S
2024	R
2023	P
2022	N
2021	M
2020	L
2019	K
2018	J
2017	H
2016	G
2015	F
2014	E
2013	D
2012	C
2011	B
2010	A
2009	9
2008	8
2007	7
2006	6

MINI models on WhichTrim

A decode that matches one of these opens its model-year page: recalls, owner complaints, service bulletins, crash ratings and fuel economy.

ClubmanNewest on file: 2024 CooperNewest on file: 2027 CountrymanNewest on file: 2027 John Cooper WorksNewest on file: 2027 PacemanNewest on file: 2016

More for your MINI

Source: where to go from here

Window sticker MINI window sticker by VIN The original sticker: options, MSRP and fuel economy, where MINI publishes it. Open →Service bulletins MINI TSB lookup Every bulletin and campaign MINI filed with NHTSA, by model and year. Open →Recalls MINI recalls Every recall campaign on file, by model, with the free repair it names. Open →Title history What a VIN cannot tell you Title brands, odometer and total losses live in NMVTIS, sold by approved providers. Open →

Common questions

Source: NHTSA vPIC, 49 CFR Part 565

Is the MINI VIN decoder free?

Yes, with no email and no account. The decode comes from NHTSA's vPIC database, the record MINI files with the federal government for every vehicle it sells in the US.

Where is the VIN on a MINI?

At the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside; on the certification label in the driver's door jamb; and on the title, registration and insurance card.

Does a decode show accidents or title brands?

No. A decode says what MINI built. What happened afterwards (title brands, odometer readings, total losses) is in NMVTIS, sold by providers the Department of Justice approves.

Can I check MINI recalls by VIN?

The decode opens the model year's page here, which lists every recall campaign on file. Whether this exact vehicle is still unrepaired is answered by NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls, which reads MINI's own list.

Is my VIN stored?

No. The decode runs in your browser against NHTSA's public database. WhichTrim never receives it.