Tesla VIN decoder

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

Tesla 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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Tesla’s manufacturer codes (WMI)

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Tesla files 4 manufacturer codes with NHTSA. The first three characters of a Tesla VIN are one of them: they say who built the vehicle, what kind it is, and in which country. Built in United States (4 codes).

Code	Vehicle type	Built in	Filed by
5YJ	Cars	United States	Tesla, Inc.
7G2	Trucks	United States	Tesla, Inc.
7SA	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	United States	Tesla, Inc.
SFZ	Cars	United States	Tesla, Inc.

What each character means on a Tesla

Source: 49 CFR 565

Every Tesla VIN since the 1981 model year follows the federal format. Positions 4 to 8 are Tesla’s own code for the model, body, engine and restraints; the decoder reads them from Tesla’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

Tesla 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.

CybertruckNewest on file: 2026 Model 3Newest on file: 2027 Model SNewest on file: 2026 Model XNewest on file: 2026 Model YNewest on file: 2027

More for your Tesla

Source: where to go from here

Window sticker Tesla window sticker by VIN The original sticker: options, MSRP and fuel economy, where Tesla publishes it. Open →Service bulletins Tesla TSB lookup Every bulletin and campaign Tesla filed with NHTSA, by model and year. Open →Recalls Tesla 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 Tesla VIN decoder free?

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

Where is the VIN on a Tesla?

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 Tesla built. What happened afterwards (title brands, odometer readings, total losses) is in NMVTIS, sold by providers the Department of Justice approves.

Can I check Tesla 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 Tesla's own list.

Is my VIN stored?

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